Immigration lawyer Willy Allen warned in his weekly program with Tania Costa on CiberCuba that a massive exodus from the Island would be interpreted by Washington as a "declaration of war" and could trigger a U.S. military intervention.
Allen made these statements during a live Q&A session in response to a question from the audience about whether a mass exodus of Cubans would elicit any reaction from the U.S.
"I believe that the United States, neither the previous government nor this particular government, will allow a mass exodus from Cuba. It would be understood as a declaration of war. I think they would see it in a very, very negative light. They would stop boats at sea. I believe there could be tragedy, and it could lead to a stronger, quicker intervention with Cuba," stated the lawyer.
Allen's words gain significance at a time when Cuba is undergoing an unprecedented migration crisis: the island's population has decreased from 11.1 million inhabitants in 2022 to just over 9.4 million at the end of 2025.
The direct historical background is the crisis of the balseros in August 1994, when the U.S. intercepted about 32,000 Cubans and transferred them to Guantánamo. On September 9 of that year, Washington and Havana signed a migration agreement that committed the U.S. to granting at least 20,000 annual visas to Cubans. Allen actively participated in litigation related to that crisis.
In the same program, another viewer asked if Cuban-American politicians from South Florida—both Republicans and Democrats—would ever be seen working together on immigration issues. Allen responded with optimism, evoking a bipartisan tradition that now seems distant.
"I think so. That was always what Dante Fascell and Claude Pepper did. That’s always what Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen did," he noted, referring to figures who combined anti-Castro positions with the defense of the rights of Cuban immigrants and refugees.
Regarding the loss of those figures, Allen was straightforward: "I believe that the quality we lost with Lincoln and Ileana is difficult to replace."
Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Republican representative from Florida from 1993 to 2011, passed away in 2025. His brother Mario Díaz-Balart continues in Congress, and Allen noted him as a figure capable of building bridges. “I have always believed that Mario is a very skilled politician, and Mario is a politician who can work with anyone to make improvements in the immigration stage and the economic part.”
The program was developed in a personal context marked for Allen. The lawyer revealed that the following day he would undergo a surgical operation, which has ultimately been successful, and that his long-time partner, lawyer Luis Fernández, had recently passed away. "Tomorrow I am going to have surgery. My partner, may he rest in peace, passed away early yesterday, Luis Fernández. So, a new cycle," he said with visible emotion.
The program also addressed the ruling by the federal judge that prohibits the detention of individuals based on their Hispanic appearance in seven counties of Southern California, and Allen reiterated his thesis that federal courts are the primary shield for immigrants against the abuses of the current government.
On his 75th year, which he will celebrate on November 12, Allen summed up his current moment with a succinct phrase: "We are in extra time."
Las declaraciones de Willy Allen tocan el corazón de la política migratoria entre Cuba y Estados Unidos. Sigue de cerca todos los desarrollos en nuestra sección de
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