A Cuban woman who was detained by ICE for nearly 11 months shared this week the anxiety of attending her immigration supervision appointment in Houston, Texas, despite having an order from a federal judge explicitly prohibiting her from being re-detained. The woman, identified on TikTok as @anaestiu, posted a video on August 3 in which she narrates the experience with a mix of relief and dark humor.
"I have an order from a federal judge that says I cannot be re-detained, but since these people don't care about anything, I was very scared," the young woman stated in the video, which gathered nearly 10,000 views in just a few days.
According to her account, the wait at the ICE offices was prolonged, but she ultimately left without being detained and with a new appointment scheduled for November 3, 2026, indicating an arrangement for submissions every three months.
"But the series continues," she concluded with a nervous laugh, referring to the videos she has posted documenting her migration process.
The case illustrates a reality faced by tens of thousands of Cubans in the United States who entered the country under the I-220A form, a supervised release order issued by ICE that does not equate to parole nor grant legal immigration status. Those holding it must periodically attend monitoring appointments, and since 2025, these appearances have become a source of terror: the Trump administration has used them to detain migrants who had been fulfilling their obligations for years.
The documented cases in Houston are numerous. Yessy Mesa was detained without prior notice during her immigration appointment in November 2025. Shortly after, Lázara Campos Cabrera faced the same fate in December, despite having no criminal record. Stephanie Kenny Velásquez was also arrested that month and only regained her freedom after a federal judge's order.
The legal landscape for I-220A holders is volatile. In July 2026, judges in Orlando, New Orleans, and San Antonio granted residency to Cubans with I-220A, but the federal government immediately appealed. That same month, reports emerged of Cubans who received deportation orders after appearing in immigration court.
The account from @anaestiu adds an additional element of concern: even when a federal judge has issued an individual and explicit protection against redetention, the migrant feels that ICE may ignore it.
Last Wednesday, another Cuban with I-220A shared her own experience during an appointment with ICE in Miramar, Florida, describing two distinct lines for the registration process, suggesting that ICE is adjusting its monitoring procedures in different cities.
For Cubans with I-220A, each check-in appointment has turned into a gamble: complying with immigration law means appearing before the very agency that can arrest them on the spot, with or without a judicial order.
Filed under: