The Cuban activist Óscar Casanella alerted this Sunday that a new immigration hearing unexpectedly appeared in his file, jeopardizing an asylum process that he and his attorney believed was practically resolved.
«After more than a year waiting for the decision on my final political asylum hearing, a new hearing, a Master Hearing (preliminary hearing), appeared in the immigration system just a few days ago, scheduled for August 28. Honestly, neither my attorney nor I expected something like this to happen,» wrote Casanella on his Facebook profile.
The Cuban opposition leader admitted that he was certain his paperwork was already complete. "I thought the process was finished," he stated.
The activist crossed the southern border of the United States on January 16, 2022 and received an I-220A document — a supervision order that does not equate to formal admission or parole — leaving him in a migration limbo without access to the benefits of the Cuban Adjustment Act. His asylum application was received in April of that same year.
The first preliminary hearing of his case took place in May 2025, and the final hearing occurred on June 24, 2025, lasting over six hours without a verdict at the close.
"I was just waiting for the judge's decision on my final asylum hearing, which, as I understand, is usually announced on the Immigration Court's website and through a letter sent by postal mail," the activist pointed out.
Instead of receiving that resolution, Casanella and his legal representative found that the system had scheduled a new preliminary hearing for August 2026, a turn of events neither party had anticipated.
In his post, Casanella detailed the timeline of the repression he suffered in Cuba since 2013, when State Security agents began to harass him. Below, the main events reported in the testimony are summarized chronologically.
Main acts of repression reported by the activist
1. Beginning of surveillance and threats in 2013
After several years of clandestine political activism, in December 2013, State Security launched an open campaign of repression against him and his family.
On December 7 of that year, he was intercepted in front of his home by two agents, who grabbed him by the neck, physically assaulted him, and threatened to destroy his life and that of his family members.
2. Arrest for participating in an artistic action in 2014
On December 30, 2014, he was arrested along with his wife and a relative for their involvement in the artistic action The Whisper of Tatlin, organized by Tania Bruguera.
After several hours of interrogation, they were released. Upon returning to the family car, they discovered that several screws on one of the wheels were dangerously loose, which they interpreted as a possible attempt to cause an accident.
3. Alleged sabotage attempt in 2015
A trusted mechanic confided to him that State Security agents had pressured him to spy on him and sabotage the vehicle he used.
The mechanic refused to cooperate and resigned from continuing to work with the family for fear of facing reprisals.
4. Collision with a truck from the Ministry of the Interior in 2015
On August 3, 2015, the car I was driving was struck from behind by a truck belonging to the Ministry of the Interior, which is the agency that includes the Cuban political police.
The impact launched the vehicle into a dangerous intersection and caused serious material damage. The complainant claims to have photographs of the accident and the report filed with the police.
5. Beating during an arrest in 2017
On January 12, 2017, he was arrested by several agents who, according to his testimony, grabbed him by the neck, forcibly took him into a cell, and attacked him in the chest and abdomen.
A man who was being detained at the same location is said to have witnessed the assault.
6. Harassment outside of Cuba in 2017
In September 2017, he was removed from a line of passengers at the airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as he was about to travel to Cuba.
According to his account, airline officials questioned him about his connections with Cuban opposition members, demanded information about the person who had paid for his ticket, and threatened to cancel the flight.
7. Aggression during a peaceful demonstration in 2019
On May 11, 2019, he was detained and beaten during a peaceful demonstration in defense of LGBT community rights.
The assault caused him a wound on the forehead and, as he explains, it was recorded in a video filmed by journalist Mónica Baró Sánchez.
8. Death threat in 2020
During a period of surveillance and house arrest, he was summoned to a police station.
There, an agent who identified himself by the pseudonym "Angelito" threatened to take his life if he continued to participate in public activities, referencing the cases of Oswaldo Payá and Laura Pollán.
9. House arrest and communication restrictions during 2021
After participating in a protest of the 27N movement in front of the Ministry of Culture, he remained under house arrest for nearly all of 2021.
He reported that he and his wife had their telephone and mobile data services cut off, their outings restricted, and visits from family and friends limited.
It also claims that State Security agents warned him that he must leave Cuba within a month or he would be imprisoned on a charge of sedition.
10. Departure from Cuba and application for political asylum
He left Cuba on December 10, 2021, and arrived at the southern border of the United States on January 16, 2022, where he received an I-220A document.
Currently, he and his family fear that their asylum application will be denied and that they could be deported to Cuba or sent to a country where, they believe, the Cuban intelligence agencies have the ability to act.
Casanella asserts that there are Cuban repressors in the U.S.
To the distress of the legal process is added a paradox that Casanella has publicly denounced since May 2026: at least two of his repressors, documented since 2015 and 2016, would have obtained legal residency in the United States while he remains without status.
"In the United States, my family and I continue to live in fear that our political asylum will be denied and that we run the risk of being deported to Cuba or to a country where the Cuban intelligence has the capacity to act," he wrote this Sunday.
"We live in fear of traveling within the United States and being detained by ICE," she added.
Casanella concluded his message with a direct plea: "My family and I want to live without fear: neither of the Cuban political police, nor of the Cuban intelligence, nor of ICE. We want to live in a place where we can sleep peacefully, knowing that we have legal status, and not like now, when we feel like nomads without a state to protect us."
The migratory context intensifies the activist's concern. Recently, several Cubans with I-220A have received deportation orders and immigration courts have advanced hearings to process those cases.
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