The family of Daísel Morales Hernández, a 34-year-old Cuban arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on October 30 while driving for Uber in Comal County, Texas, publicly denounced the treatment received during the detention and demanded that the case be investigated.
In an open letter addressed to the media and immigration authorities, the family members state that agents aimed tasers at Morales and handcuffed him to the ground, despite their claim that he did not resist at any moment.
"During his arrest, the officers pointed electric guns at him and handcuffed him to the ground, despite the fact that, as far as we know, he was not resisting arrest," the letter states.
El caso de Daísel Morales es uno de los muchos que reflejan la realidad migratoria que viven los cubanos en Estados Unidos. Mantente informado sobre arrestos, deportaciones y todo lo relacionado con la
The family questions the proportionality of the operation and raises direct questions to ICE: "Was it necessary to intimidate him in that way? What justifies pointing an electric weapon at a person who is not resisting? Where is the respect for human dignity?"
The text also makes it clear that they do not seek to evade the law, but rather basic guarantees: "We do not ask for privileges nor do we want to be above the law. We demand respect, humanity, and that the rights of our loved one are guaranteed."
A nearly three-minute video of the arrest went viral on social media after being shared by journalist Daniel Benítez, generating thousands of divided reactions within the Cuban community. In the footage, a woman can be seen confronting the officers, repeatedly asking, "Why are you arresting this man? What has he done?" and questioning whether they had read him his rights. The officers threatened her with pepper spray as they demanded she step back.
At the time of his arrest, Morales had entered the United States through humanitarian parole and had an ongoing application for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act. He remained detained in the Comal County jail under ICE custody, and the agency did not issue any public statement explaining the specific reasons for the arrest.
The case falls within a pattern specifically affecting Cuban drivers of transportation platforms in Texas. In October 2026, at least two other similar arrests were documented, including that of Frank Yanuyr Arzuaga-Castellón, who was detained while transporting a passenger from an airport to a military base in Austin and taken to the Montgomery ICE Processing Center in Conroe, where his defense is considering filing a habeas corpus petition.
A recurring legal issue in these cases is that ICE classifies some Cubans with humanitarian parole as "arriving aliens," a category that may prevent an immigration judge from having jurisdiction to grant them bond, leaving them without the possibility of being released while their situation is processed. Additionally, the I-220A form that many Cubans received upon entering the country does not, on its own, equate to formal migratory parole nor does it guarantee eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act.
The arrests of Cubans by ICE have surged by 463% since October 2024, increasing from fewer than 200 per month to over 1,000 monthly by the end of 2025. In August 2026, the agency recorded more than 50,000 total arrests, and only 31% of the over 500,000 individuals arrested up to that date had prior criminal convictions.
“Dear ICE agents: having a badge and a uniform does not give you the right to forget that you are dealing with human beings,” concludes the family's letter, which urges the media to follow up on the case so that “Daísel does not get forgotten.”
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