The Cuban Yasmany Moreno de Armas, deported by the United States to the Central African Republic, stated that his lawyer informed him about a possible negotiation for him to be returned to U.S. territory and initially stay in a detention center while his immigration process continues.
Moreno shared the information in a video posted on Instagram, in which he stated that the proposal would rule out, at least for now, his return through a parole and would instead consider that he appears before a judge to request a bail hearing.
"The lawyer just informed me that they have already negotiated with the government of the United States," said Moreno, and explained that he still does not know to which detention center he would be transferred if his return is ultimately finalized.
According to their account, the proposed alternative would be to remain in custody until a judge decides on a possible bail, and if granted, to continue their immigration process outside of the detention center.
I prefer to stay for two or three months, as they are telling me, in a detention center rather than continue being deported in Africa, he asserted. It is the only option they are giving me and the only option I can take at this moment.
Moreno reiterated that the conditions in which he claims to live in the Central African Republic are extremely difficult. "Life here is quite horrible and very sad, given all the work one has to go through and all the hunger experienced in this country," he stated.
For the moment, there is no public confirmation from U.S. authorities regarding a specific agreement to return Moreno to the United States. The information about the alleged negotiations comes from what the Cuban himself communicated after speaking with his attorney.
Moreno, 31 years old, was sent to the Central African Republic in late July as part of the U.S. policy of deportations to third countries.
According to the immigration documents cited at the time, he arrived in Florida by raft in September 2016 and was admitted under the now-eliminated "wet foot, dry foot" policy.
Subsequently, he applied for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act, but his petition was denied because, according to those records, he submitted it after his parole had expired.
Without legal status, he was arrested by ICE in May 2025 and stayed in custody for approximately a year before being deported.
Moreno has assured that he has no criminal record and that he found out he had been sent to Africa when the plane was already close to landing in Bangui. From there, he has reported a lack of documents, restrictions on movement, and difficulties in meeting basic needs.
In another recently released video, the Cuban reacted to the decision of the United States Supreme Court that temporarily allows the administration of Donald Trump to continue with expedited deportations to third countries while the justices examine the legality of that policy.
"This is going to be a very ugly situation for all the migrants who are currently in detention centers," Moreno said, expressing concern that more people could be transferred to African countries before the supreme court resolves the litigation.
The Supreme Court decided this week to temporarily suspend the effects of lower court rulings that required certain procedural guarantees before sending an immigrant to a third country. The court also agreed to review the merits of the case and scheduled arguments for its session in December 2026.
This means that the Court has not yet definitively ruled that the policy is legal; it allowed it to continue temporarily while addressing issues related to due process, immigration laws, and protections against sending individuals to places where they allege a risk of persecution or torture.
Politics has been used to send about 25,000 people to over two dozen countries, although most were relocated to Mexico, according to data cited by Associated Press.
The case of Moreno also occurs against a backdrop of judicial decisions that have ordered the return of some expelled immigrants to Africa. On September 18, federal judge Regina M. Rodríguez, from the District of Colorado, ordered the Trump administration to return Honduran Bryan Omar Sánchez to the United States, who had been sent to the Central African Republic despite having a pending asylum application and protection under the Convention Against Torture.
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