The immigration attorney Willy Allen III issued a statement that sparked debate within the Cuban community in the United States: he recommended voting for the Democrats in the upcoming elections as the only way to protect the immigration status of holders of form I-220A.
The statement took place during a live interview broadcast from Kentucky alongside journalist Tania Costa, who responded to the assertion with a phrase that captured the gravity of the moment: "We need to think carefully about the vote. We're between a rock and a hard place. Either we save the I-220A or we save Cuba," she said.
Allen III was more direct. "We need to vote blue in 2026 and 2028." But he immediately recognized the complexity of that appeal for a community that has historically aligned with the Republican Party due to its anti-communist stance.
"It is a decision that requires a lot of thought," said Tania Costa, "because we have to choose between saving the I-220A, which we all want to be saved, or addressing the situation in Cuba."
The lawyer described the crossroads bluntly: "We are between a rock and a hard place. I don't know, between the bad and the worse."
His central argument targets the current federal government. "As long as the Republicans, the 'Maga' —because they are not real Republicans— are in power, there will be nothing positive for our community," Allen III stated, concluding with a call for rational electoral behavior: "We need to vote and vote with our minds, with our brains."
The dilemma posed by Allen III is significant. Cuban Americans voted predominantly for Trump in 2024—between 58% and 70% according to various measurements—driven largely by the expectation of increased pressure on the Cuban regime.
However, the Trump administration has tightened immigration policies and increased ICE arrests and deportations, directly affecting Cubans carrying the I-220A.
That form, a supervised release order used widely during the Biden administration to free Cubans detained at the border, does not formally equate to a parole, a condition required by the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 to obtain permanent residency. This legal ambiguity has left tens of thousands of Cubans in a migratory limbo that the current lawsuits have yet to resolve.
In February 2026, the 11th Circuit overturned previous decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and remanded the cases for a new review, without ordering automatic adjustment. Allen III has argued that the Cuban Adjustment Act already provides the legal framework to resolve these cases without the need for new legislation, in contrast to the proposal by Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, who in 2025 introduced the so-called Dignity Act to regulate them. In April 2026, Allen III accused Salazar of "insulting our community."
During the same program, the lawyer also addressed a practical inquiry from a viewer identified as Camila, who asked about a marriage in which one of the spouses has an I-220A with a final hearing in 2027 and the other has a hearing scheduled for this year. Allen III was clear: "The person who will have the main case must be the one with the strongest case."
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