The Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar published an urgent video on her X account directed at Cubans who hold the I-220A form, after receiving a direct call from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alerting her that individuals with that document are going to notaries to falsify a parole.
The legislator issued a dual warning: to the desperate Cubans seeking that illegal exit, and to the public notaries who are facilitating the fraud.
"Do you think the authorities won't notice?"
"I'm making this video for anyone who has an I-220A. ICE just called me to say that many people with the I-220A are going to notaries to falsify a parole," Salazar began in the video.
The congresswoman was direct in pointing out the naivety of the plan: “But do you really think that the American authorities won’t notice that this paper is fake?”
His message acknowledged the community's distress, but it was clear about the consequences.
"To everyone who has I-220A and is feeling desperate, I understand that the situation is tough, but it is going to get much worse for you if you start to forge documents," he asserted
Direct warning to fraudulent notaries
Salazar also clearly pointed out those who profit from the despair of others.
"And above all, to the notary, the public notary who is falsifying these documents. You know very well that this is punishable by law," he affirmed.
Falsifying immigration documents in the United States is a federal offense with penalties that can reach up to five years in prison in certain cases and up to 15 years for more serious offenses, in addition to deportation and a permanent ban on obtaining residency or citizenship.
The congresswoman emphasized that those who choose to falsify documents are permanently closing the door to U.S. citizenship for themselves.
"You all know that I am your strongest advocate, that I understand things are not easy, but by falsifying a document and involving federal authorities, what you are doing is digging your own grave and will never be able to become a citizen of the United States," she warned.
Despite the harshness of her warning, the congresswoman closed the video with a message of hope.
"I am the one fighting the hardest for you; I have already spoken with Homeland Security, and I completely understand the desperation in the I-220A community. Rest assured, I am confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel," she concluded.
A limbo that affects half a million Cubans
The I-220A form - a Recognizance Release Order - was issued to between 400,000 and 500,000 Cubans who crossed the border during the Biden administration, instead of the formal parole that other migrants in similar circumstances received.
Those who received parole can take advantage of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and apply for permanent residency after one year and one day in U.S. territory; those with the I-220A do not have that option available.
On February 24, 2026, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned previous decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals and returned the cases for further review, without granting automatic residency. Several judges have granted residency in individual cases, but the federal government has immediately appealed all those victories.
Meanwhile, the courts have accelerated numerous hearings scheduled for 2028 or 2029 to the summer of 2026.
The lawyer Willy Allen estimated that the final decision from the BIA could arrive in October or November, although he warned that it could be negative.
In June 2026, Salazar sent a formal letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin demanding parole-in-place for those without a criminal record, with the Department of Homeland Security yet to take concrete action as of today.
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