A Cuban citizen identified as Abel Alejandro Pérez-Beltrán was added this Wednesday to the "Worst of the Worst" list by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the Department of Homeland Security published a new announcement detailing the most recent arrests of undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records.
Pérez-Beltrán was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Lee County, Florida, a southwestern region 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 the threat of using a weapon capable of causing death or serious injury.
The Cuban is the only individual of his nationality among the five cases highlighted in the announcement this Wednesday, which also includes a Salvadoran sentenced for two counts of child sexual abuse, a Honduran convicted of rape in Goshen, New York, a Mexican sentenced for domestic violence and aggravated burglary in Dallas, and a Salvadoran woman convicted of possession of narcotics 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 abusers, and other illegal criminals of the worst kind. 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 appeared on this list on other occasions since its inception.
This Monday, ICE deported a Cuban citizen with a lengthy criminal record as part of a new operation against immigrants in irregular situations convicted of serious crimes.
This concerns Francisco Matos Izquierdo, who had prior convictions for assault, cocaine sales, and aggravated assault, as well as having been previously arrested for domestic violence and drug possession, according to published information.
The migration context for Cubans in the United States has become increasingly harsh. In the first half of 2026, ICE set a record for detentions in June with nearly 39,000 immigrants arrested, 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 amassed cases ranging from homicide and child sexual abuse to drug trafficking and aggravated assault, establishing a consistent presence on the list that the DHS describes as the most dangerous criminals arrested on U.S. soil.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is running a public campaign to encourage the voluntary departure of irregular immigrants.
This Tuesday, the organization posted the message on its social media: "Don't hesitate to repatriate!"
The initiative aims to reduce the number of individuals subject to deportation proceedings through voluntary self-deportation.
Related videos:
Filed under: