The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, referred to the impact of the immigration policy of the Donald Trump administration and specifically mentioned Cubans among the communities facing its consequences.
During an interview with journalist Sergio Novelli, focused mainly on the situation in Venezuela and the future of Venezuelan migrants in the United States, Rubio stated that the measures adopted by Washington are not aimed at any particular nationality.
"This is not focused on the Venezuelan. This is in general," stated the head of U.S. diplomacy before specifically mentioning other communities.
We are seeing cases of Cubans for the first time. We are seeing cases from Haitians, Salvadorans, and people from all countries, even from around the world, because at the end of the day, this country has laws that must be followed," he noted.
Rubio's words come at a particularly sensitive time for thousands of Cubans in the United States, particularly for those who remain under the I-220A form and other immigration situations without permanent status.
In June alone, immigration courts issued 1,642 deportation orders against Cuban citizens, while CiberCuba has documented in recent months the detention of immigrants during appointments with ICE, expulsion orders issued in court, and cases of Cubans who have chosen to leave the country voluntarily for fear of being detained.
On Tuesday, a federal court in Miami announced that it has scheduled a hearing for the case Bello-Rubio v. Noem on September 10th. This lawsuit was filed by 992 Cubans seeking to have their releases legally recognized as parole, which could open a path for them to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act.
The uncertainty has also affected Cubans who have pending applications with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Two memos from the Trump administration had halted the processing of applications for asylum, permanent residency, work permits, citizenship, and other benefits for nationals from dozens of countries deemed "high risk," including Cuba.
A recent order from a federal court in California forced USCIS to resume the regular processing of those cases. The agency announced that it will comply with the ruling, although it expressed its disagreement and left open the possibility of seeking a judicial review.
Rubio's statements, also issued this Tuesday, are particularly relevant for the Cuban community in the United States, at a time when many migrants face uncertainty regarding their legal status and the consequences of the .
During the interview, the Secretary of State once again held the administration of Joe Biden responsible for allowing what he claimed was a massive immigration that the current government is trying to reverse.
"This country was the victim of a massive immigration that we received and that no country can handle. This administration and this president were elected with a promise to fix that," he stated.
Rubio defends the end of temporary statuses
The Secretary of State also defended that cannot be extended indefinitely.
"In terms of temporary statuses, a temporary status must eventually expire in some way," he stated. According to Rubio, for years those protections were extended to the point that they effectively became a permanent situation.
"All temporary statuses have to expire at some point. And they were never expiring; they had turned into a permanent status," he argued.
Rubio acknowledged, however, that the decisions made by Washington have tough consequences for individuals and families who have been settled in the United States for some time.
"I understand that it's a difficult topic because when one has to deal with or confront something like what happened to this country, there are real-life consequences that are sometimes hard to accept or see," he said.
He insisted that Trump's goal is to correct what he sees as a serious crisis in the U.S. immigration system.
"Each case is individual."
When questioned about what response could be offered to immigrants concerned about losing their protections, Rubio clarified that immigration decisions do not fall directly under the Department of State and emphasized that the situation depends on the individual history of each person.
All cases are different, he pointed out.
The secretary differentiated, among other scenarios, between those who request political asylum, individuals who are under some temporary status, and those who entered via a visa. «Everything depends on how that individual entered the country, what status they are currently in, and what type of visa they used to enter», he explained.
He also mentioned the case of those who remained in the United States after their visas expired and reiterated that authorities must analyze each situation individually. "Each case is individual," he emphasized.
Although these statements were made in response to questions about the situation of Venezuelans, Rubio had previously made it clear that the tightening of immigration policies also affects Cubans and other communities.
Could there be a new special measure?
Another significant moment in the interview occurred when Rubio was asked about the possibility of the Trump administration approving some special immigration mechanism similar to measures adopted previously.
Everything is possible, he replied. However, the Secretary of State made it clear right away that an initiative of that kind is not currently on the table. That is not being discussed at this time, he specified.
Rubio explained that the administration avoids publicly anticipating possible immigration programs or benefits because it believes that such announcements could be interpreted outside the United States as an opportunity to enter the country.
"Every time there is prior talk of any project like that, it creates the perception in some people's minds that there is a special permit to enter the United States," he stated.
According to the secretary, even when people would not actually meet the requirements of a potential measure, the mere announcement can create expectations and serve as an incentive for new migration flows.
“At this moment, what this administration has been trying to do is to prevent another massive immigration towards the United States,” he summarized.
Rubio's words, therefore, leave open the theoretical possibility of future immigration measures, but they do not constitute the announcement of a new program nor confirm that the Trump administration is currently preparing special protections.
For Cubans affected by the migration changes, the secretary's message combines two elements: the explicit acknowledgment that the Cuban community is experiencing for the first time the impact of certain measures of the current immigration policy, and Washington's insistence on enforcing the laws and reviewing each situation according to the individual circumstances of each immigrant.
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