The U.S. Border Patrol arrested a Cuban citizen on Friday in Key Largo, Florida, who had an active final deportation order and a extensive criminal record, the agency reported in a post shared on its official Facebook account.
According to the authorities, the detainee has a history of aggravated assault with a firearm, multiple convictions for theft, possession of stolen property, vehicle theft, and shoplifting.
"A Cuban with an extensive criminal history and an active deportation order was arrested in Key Largo, FL," the Border Patrol stated in their message.
The photograph released by the agency shows the migrant handcuffed and guarded by two agents from the Miami Sector, with the words "CRIMINAL ALIEN" and "ARRESTED" overlaid on the image, a common practice in official publications by the administration of Donald Trump regarding the arrests of immigrants with criminal records.
The Cuban remains in federal custody while the relevant immigration proceedings continue.
Key Largo, located in Monroe County, is part of the jurisdiction of the Miami Sector of the Border Patrol, one of the areas with the highest migratory activity in the country due to its proximity to the Caribbean. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, that sector has intensified operations aimed at locating and apprehending immigrants with final deportation orders and criminal records.
The arrest adds to other recent operations in South Florida. Last March, the so-called Operation Tidal Wave concluded with the arrest of 15 undocumented immigrants in Key Largo, including several Cubans charged with offenses such as aggravated assault, robbery, and illegal possession of firearms.
In recent weeks, federal authorities have also reported other arrests of Cuban citizens who remained in the United States despite having deportation orders issued years ago, in a trend that has intensified over the past few months.
According to figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for July 2026, more than 42,000 Cubans have pending final deportation orders in the United States. Of these, at least 29,000 have criminal records.
Deportations have also increased since Cuba began accepting the return of nationals with criminal records. On February 9, 2026, the Cuban regime received for the first time a flight with deportees classified as serious offenders, a change that facilitated the acceleration of expulsions. In just the first five months of this year, the United States deported 612 Cubans on 18 direct flights to Havana.
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