In Florida, the increasing number of immigrants facing deportation is raising concerns among a crucial demographic: Cuban-Americans.
Before the 2020 election, polls indicated that over two-thirds of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County supported President Donald Trump.
However, the administration’s recent immigration actions have begun to draw criticism from within this community.
At a local ventanita—a small counter-service window at a restaurant in Miami’s Westchester neighborhood—customers gathered for Cuban coffee and shared their views.
Roger Schaefer, a second-generation Cuban-American who considers himself a staunch Trump supporter, expressed unease with the administration’s aggressive stance on immigration.
“I was on board with deporting any criminal, not so much people who come to work hard—roofers and construction guys. I’m not for deporting people without criminal records,” Schaefer stated.
Reports indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are detaining individuals with no criminal violations and initiating deportation proceedings against them, sometimes even during routine check-ins with immigration authorities.
These developments are being widely discussed across Miami-Dade County, a region where nearly 70% of residents are Hispanic, and more than half have migrated from other countries.
Jorge Pitta, whose parents came from Honduras and Uruguay, shared his thoughts on the matter.
As a Hispanic man, Pitta feels upset seeing his community treated in this way.
He acknowledged the necessity of deportation but criticized the methodology employed by the Trump administration.
“It’s rough because I’m Hispanic myself and I see my people being treated like this. I do think Trump also has his mistakes that he needs to address. Foreign policy is one. The way he’s handled this immigration is not good,” he said.
Pitta also voiced concerns over the protests occurring in Los Angeles, believing they prioritize illegal immigrants over law enforcement efforts.
Abel Delgado, chair of Miami-Dade County’s Democratic Hispanic Caucus, conveyed that the Trump administration has shocked the South Florida community with its policies.
Delgado noted, “We didn’t deport people to Cuba on a regular basis before. That has changed. We didn’t think it was wise to send people back to Venezuela. Based on all the changes that President Trump is making, he must think that things are perfectly fine in Cuba and Venezuela.”
The alterations in deportation policies and the travel bans imposed on countries like Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela are also surfacing as potential threats to Trump’s support among Hispanic voters in Florida.
Despite these concerns, many believe the impact may not be long-lasting.
Ninoska Perez, a well-known Cuban-American talk show host, indicated that many of her listeners regard the immigration crackdown as something that had been overdue.
She remarked, “I think President Trump has a mandate that was given to him in this election saying that he has to protect the borders. And this is one way to do it.”
In recent days, there has been a shift among some Cuban-American elected officials in expressing dissatisfaction with the administration’s approach to immigration.
Florida Republican State Senator Ileana Garcia took to social media to voice her criticism, specifically addressing White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the principal architect behind Trump’s immigration policy.
Garcia labeled the deportations as “unacceptable and inhumane,” although she did not respond to requests for an interview.
Similarly, Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, another Miami representative, has publicly shared her heartbreak over the deportation of Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans.
She, along with fellow Cuban-American members of Congress, is set to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to address their collective concerns regarding the deportation of individuals to their home countries, particularly during these tumultuous times.
As these conversations unfold, the complex landscape of immigration policy continues to affect the opinions of Cuban-Americans in Florida, reflecting both support for Trump and discontent with specific actions taken by his administration.
image source from：https://www.wgcu.org/2025-06-11/in-miami-deportations-are-raising-concerns-among-cuban-americans
