A Cuban citizen identified as Abel Alejandro Pérez-Beltrán was included this Wednesday in the "Worst of the Worst" list by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following the release of a new statement detailing the most recent arrests of undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records by the Department of Homeland Security.
Pérez-Beltrán was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Lee County, Florida, an area in the southwestern part of the state that includes the city of Fort Myers.
Under Florida law, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a felony that involves the use or threat of use of a weapon capable of causing death or serious injury.
The Cuban is the only one of his nationality among the five cases highlighted in the statement released this Wednesday, which also includes a Salvadoran convicted on two charges of child sexual abuse, a Honduran convicted of rape in Goshen, New York, a Mexican convicted of domestic violence and aggravated burglary in Dallas, and a Salvadoran woman convicted of narcotics possession with intent to distribute in Maryland.
The DHS Deputy Secretary, Lauren Bis, was the official who issued the official statement regarding the arrests: "Just yesterday, ICE arrested child abusers, rapists, domestic violence offenders, and other illegal criminals from the worst of the worst. While politicians in sanctuary cities continue to release dangerous criminals onto their streets, our brave law enforcement agents will keep risking their lives to apprehend these offenders and make the United States safer."
The statement indicates that the DHS has already documented over 40,000 arrests of immigrants with criminal records since its launch in December 2025.
Cubans have consistently appeared on this list since its inception. This Monday, ICE deported a Cuban citizen with an extensive criminal record as part of a new operation against undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
This refers to Francisco Matos Izquierdo, who had accumulated convictions for assault, drug trafficking, and aggravated assault, in addition to having been previously arrested for domestic violence and drug possession, according to the published information.
The migration context for Cubans in the United States has steadily hardened. In the first half of 2026, ICE set a record for arrests in June with nearly 39,000 immigrants apprehended, and more than 1,600 Cubans received deportation orders that same month.
In total, during the first half of the year, the United States deported 740 Cubans on 25 repatriation flights, a figure that reflects the intensification of the Trump administration's operations against immigrants with criminal records.
Since the launch of the platform "The Worst of the Worst," Cubans with serious criminal records detained by ICE have accumulated cases ranging from homicide and child sexual abuse to drug trafficking and aggravated assault, establishing a steady presence on the list that DHS describes as the most dangerous criminals arrested on U.S. soil.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is conducting a public campaign to encourage the voluntary departure of undocumented immigrants.
This Tuesday, the organization published the message on its social media: "Don't hesitate to repatriate!"
The initiative aims to reduce the number of people subject to deportation proceedings through voluntary self-deportation.
Related videos:
Filed under: