Immigration lawyer Wilfredo "Willy" Allen revealed this Monday on his weekly program on CiberCuba the reasons that may be behind the systematic transfer of Cuban immigrants from centers such as Krome, in Miami-Dade, to detention facilities in Texas and Louisiana.
According to Allen, it is not just one cause, but rather three factors that combine: the stricter enforcement of immigration law in that jurisdiction, the abundance of private prisons in both states, and a deliberate government strategy to make it difficult for detainees to obtain release or legal resources.
"I believe they are aware that the fifth district will enforce the law much more strictly. And I do believe that with this government, they have moved to Texas and Louisiana to harm immigrants," the lawyer stated.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, is the most restrictive federal court in the country regarding immigration issues. Just three days before the interview, this court ruled by 10 votes to seven in the case Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega that the Constitution does not guarantee a bail hearing for detained immigrants who entered illegally, even if they have been living in the United States for several years.
Allen was emphatic about the practical consequences of that judicial reality. "It is very difficult to achieve the release of a detained person in the Fifth Circuit—which includes Louisiana and Texas."
The second factor that explains the concentration of detainees in those states is the available prison infrastructure. "Texas and Louisiana have many private prisons. They have spent a lot of money to have private prisons, to rent space in local jails. And it's much easier to have space in Texas or Louisiana," Allen noted, who did not hesitate to describe those facilities as "they have always been the worst places, they have always been horrible holes."
As of August 6, 2026, Texas housed 16,237 detainees from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) in 27 facilities, while Louisiana accounted for an additional 7,579 in 11 centers, together representing nearly one quarter of the national total.
The question regarding the transfers arose in the context of the deportations of 69 Cubans to the Central African Republic, whose flights departed from Alexandria, Louisiana—not from Florida—confirming that the detainees had already been transferred from Krome or other centers before being deported.
The journalist Tania Costa, who hosts Willy Allen's weekly program on CiberCuba, spoke on Saturday, October 24, with a group of the 69 Cubans deported that week, who recounted having traveled handcuffed, some with straitjackets, unaware of their destination until after takeoff.
Allen clarified, however, that the practice of transferring detainees between states is not a new development under the current administration. "This has been going on for years," he said, recalling a case from over two decades ago in which a client was transferred from Krome to Buffalo, New York.
As a counterpoint, the attorney highlighted that last Thursday he achieved a victory in Iowa—part of the Eighth Circuit—for a Cuban with no criminal record who was detained. "We won a residency in court for a Cuban who had no criminal offenses; he was granted his residency and is on his way home this week."
The testimony of Cubans deported to Africa illustrates the final destination this judicial circuit can lead to: deportation thousands of kilometers away, without due process guarantees and without a real possibility of appeal.
Los traslados de cubanos detenidos a Texas y Luisiana son parte de una estrategia migratoria más amplia. Sigue todos los detalles y novedades en nuestra sección de
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