Immigration attorney Willy Allen made a moral appeal during his weekly program with Tania Costa on CiberCuba, comparing the historical separation of families imposed by the Cuban regime with the deportations currently carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States, in the context of the case of a Cuban mother with I-220A detained by ICE while her three-year-old son, a U.S. citizen, remained in the care of his father.

The catalyst for the argument was the arrest of Tania Romero Naranjo, a 24-year-old Cuban with an I-220A form, who was detained on June 26 in Portland, Texas, during a routine supervision appointment with ICE.

Allen acknowledged the obvious contradiction in this case because while there are already judges who have granted residency to Cubans with I-220A, ICE arrests continue. "For me, something that is impossible to forgive or forget is that the Cuban government has separated families for decades."

From that standpoint, the lawyer expanded his criticism to U.S. immigration policy. "The Government of Cuba is cruel, inhumane, and separates families. It pains me greatly that we, in the empire, who are much better than the Government of Cuba, are also separating families." To which the host replied, "You can say it louder, but not clearer."

Other participants reinforced the argument by pointing out that the option of sending the American citizen child to Cuba with his mother is also unacceptable.

"Sending a child to Cuba is even more inhumane," pointed out a spectator. Tania Costa added, "I know that separating him from his mother is hard, but sending that child over there (to Cuba) to suffer from hunger, blackouts, mosquitoes, and not being able to sleep, that is inhumane."

The spectator Roinel Velázquez intervened in the debate to ask for mercy.  “Sir, place your hand on that child who needs his mother.”

Allen also referred to a personal example featured in the program to illustrate the emotional weight of these separations, recalling that Tania Costa had reunited with her mother after "more than 10 years" apart.

With form I-220A

The case of Tania Romero Naranjo falls within a legal crisis affecting between 400,000 and 500,000 Cubans in the United States who hold the I-220A form, a Release on Recognizance Order issued by ICE that does not confer permanent immigration status or equate to a parole, thus preventing them from automatically benefiting from the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.

Some judges have granted residency to Cubans with I-220A interpreting it as valid parole, but the Department of Homeland Security has appealed those rulings. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta held a hearing in December 2025 and has not yet issued a final ruling.

The Cuban regime has been separating families for more than six decades. Since 1959, it has imposed restrictions on exit and return, and during the Peter Pan Operation from 1961 to 1962, it sent more than 14,000 Cuban children alone to the United States.

Despite the uncertain landscape, Allen closed with a note of hope regarding the I-220A cases: "I truly have hope."