Immigration attorney Wilfredo «Willy» Allen delivered a message of hope this Monday to the hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants with I-220A forms, assuring that despite the uncertainty, active lawsuits in federal courts present a real possibility for a favorable resolution.
"The tunnel is big and dark, but with the demands that exist, with the decisions that are pending, I see a light—not immediate, but a light at the end of the I-220A tunnel. I would say that with the Federal Courts, we are closer than ever," Allen declared in an interview with journalist Tania Costa.
The lawyer responded to a plea for encouragement from the audience, describing the horizon as "very dark" after months of waiting without a definitive resolution regarding their immigration status in the United States.
The message arrives days after 69 Cubans were deported to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on a flight that departed on October 21 from Alexandria, Louisiana. Several of those expelled claim to have had I-220A, valid work permits, and pending asylum applications at the time of their deportation.
In that context of distress, Allen has emphasized the need to distinguish the various legal situations of those who have been deported. Those with criminal records have no chance of returning; those who received a final denial of asylum face a path that is "almost possible, but not impossible"; and those who were expelled without having a final deportation hearing — including cases with pending habeas corpus — are the ones with "the best chance of being able to return through Federal Courts."
The lawyer's optimism is based on the progress of the class action lawsuit Bello-Rubio v. Noem, filed by nearly a thousand Cubans with I-220A before the Southern District Court of Florida. The litigation, overseen by Judge Jacqueline Becerra, aims for the court to recognize that release under I-220A is legally equivalent to parole, an essential requirement to apply for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
On October 23, the plaintiffs filed their opposition to the Government's motion to close the case, which had been submitted on the 9th of that month. The deadline for the administration to file its reply is October 30, although this date does not necessarily imply an immediate court decision.
The legal dispute revolves around whether the I-220A —a release order under self-recognition issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)— can be equated with the humanitarian parole required by Cuban immigration law. The Trump administration argues that it cannot; the plaintiffs and their attorneys contend otherwise. It is estimated that between 400,000 and 500,000 Cubans in the United States hold that document, according to data cited by Allen himself.
Immigration judges in Orlando, New Orleans, and San Antonio have granted residency to Cubans with I-220A, but the Government has appealed those decisions, putting them on hold since July 2026, according to reports on the case's progress.
Allen had already warned in September that the path of the I-220A would be long. "I believe we will win the war, but it is impossible to say how much longer it may take." This Monday, however, he chose to emphasize the progress: "We are closer than ever."
El caso de los cubanos con I-220A es solo uno de los muchos frentes migratorios que siguen abiertos en EE.UU. Mantente al tanto de todos los cambios y novedades en nuestra sección de
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