The relatives of the two Cubans arrested on Tuesday, October 13, during a routine inspection by the Coast Guard in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys, contradict the official version: they assert that both young men had active asylum processes and all their documentation in order, not denied as claimed by the authorities.
The detention of the two Cubans took place during a routine inspection of a Bayliner boat with a Yamaha engine.
The journalist Javier Díaz from Univision 23 published an exclusive report this Saturday featuring the identities of those arrested, disclosed by their own relatives.
It concerns Jorge Marlon Arcelo Paula, 28 years old, and his cousin Junior López Rodríguez, 26, both holders of I-220A documents.
Neither ICE nor CBP have publicly confirmed their identities or the exact status of their cases at this time.
What the family says
The relatives of the two young men approached Univision to present the case and seek assistance, and their account contrasts with the official version on three points:
"Neither of them ever received a notification that their application had been rejected. 'They have never received any notification that it was denied,' a relative told the journalist."
"The young people had a clean record. 'He has never had a ticket, never had anything on his record, all very clean,' the same source added."
- Third: that the boat departure was not new to them nor did it involve crossing borders.
According to Marlon's aunt, they both used to go fishing and always stayed within U.S. waters.
The family emphasizes that both of them have pending asylum cases and not denied, as the government claims.
The authorities' version
The Coast Guard of the Southeast District published the case on X on October 15, two days after the arrest, without disclosing the names of those involved or specifying whether the vessel was in international waters at the time of the inspection.
The statement read: "A crew from the USCG Islamorada identified two Cuban citizens who had been denied asylum and are not legally authorized to remain in the U.S. during a security inspection of a vessel on Tuesday. Both were transferred to Border Patrol for processing."
The lawyer's warning
The immigration attorney Rosaly Chaviano, interviewed by Javier Díaz, explained that the Coast Guard has full authority to request documents during inspections in U.S. waters, even aboard recreational vessels.
If they detect someone with a deportation order —even if it is not final— they are obligated to refer the case to the Border Patrol.
“They may also have orders to check if the person has a status or not,” Chaviano pointed out, referring to the tightening of immigration controls under the current administration.
Regarding the future of the detainees, the lawyer was clear:
"If that order is final, they can be deported to Cuba immediately if Cuba accepts them. If it is not final, then they can wait inside the processing center for the Board of Appeals to make a decision on that appeal, which can literally take months."
Chaviano also issued a direct warning to the Cuban community with pending immigration processes.
"It is important for people, if they have an ongoing process and are not yet American residents or citizens, not to leave the country, even if it is just to go fishing," he emphasized.
As of the closing of this report, both young individuals have been detained at the Border Patrol facilities in Miramar.
An increased context of migration pressure
What sets this case apart is that the arrest did not occur during a supervision appointment with ICE or at a land checkpoint, but rather during a maritime security inspection of a recreational vessel, an infrequent practice that has raised concerns within the Cuban community in Florida.
The episode occurs during a week of intense migratory activity in the Keys.
On Tuesday, October 13, the Coast Guard repatriated six individuals to Cuba following two maritime operations conducted on the 8th and 11th of that month.
One day later, a Cuban rescued off Key Biscayne was deported to the island.
According to figures cited in reports on the migration situation, the detentions of Cubans by ICE in Florida increased by 463% between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2026, a statistic that illustrates the extent of the tightening of controls in the state.
Los casos de asilo, detenciones y documentos migratorios como el I-220A son temas que afectan a miles de cubanos en EE.UU. Sigue todos los detalles en nuestra sección de
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