Recent arrests of former Cuban officials and allegations of long-hidden ties to Havana’s Communist Party have sent shockwaves through South Florida’s Cuban-American community.
Tomás Hernández, a 71-year-old former high-ranking official in Cuba’s foreign intelligence agency, was apprehended by federal agents outside his home in March.
Accused of concealing his political background to secure permanent residency in the United States, Hernández’s detention has resonated particularly with South Florida’s politically influential exiles.
Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin American expert at Florida International University, remarked, “It’s a political gift to Cuban-American hardliners.”
However, the crackdown has incited fears among many Cubans about their security and status in the U.S., leading to sentiments of betrayal by some within the community.
While Cuban-Americans have traditionally favored Republican policies, the mass deportation efforts initiated by President Donald Trump have generated unease among this demographic.
Historically, Cuban migrants benefited from preferential treatment that allowed them almost automatic refugee status.
In March, Trump revoked temporary humanitarian parole for approximately 300,000 Cubans, causing anxiety about potential deportation proceedings targeting many who had previously felt secure in their residency.
Among those now facing deportation is Eliéxer Márquez, a pro-Trump rapper known as El Funky, whose song “Patria y Vida” became the rallying cry for anti-communist protests in Cuba in 2021.
Márquez received notice that he has 30 days to leave the U.S., highlighting the unpredictable nature of immigration enforcement under the current administration.
Despite their historical support for Trump—evidenced by robust backing during the last election—Cuban-Americans now face an uncertain future as the immigration landscape shifts under his policies.
Recent polls indicate that support for Trump among likely Cuban-American voters remains high, and many are still hopeful that they might be spared from strict immigration enforcement, unlike migrants from other nations like Venezuela and Haiti.
Democrats have seized upon this immigration crackdown as an opportunity to criticize Republican lawmakers, accusing them of failing to protect Cuban migrants from the very policies they earlier supported.
Graffiti on highways in Miami has labeled Republican representatives like Marco Rubio and Mario Díaz-Balart as “traitors,” illustrating the political rift created by these changes.
Mario Díaz-Balart sent Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a list of 108 individuals he identified as former Cuban state agents living illegally in the U.S., accentuating an ongoing governmental effort to identify and deport these individuals.
In his letter, Díaz-Balart lamented the potential threat these individuals pose to national security and the safety of Cuban exiles.
Luis Dominguez, a Cuban exile dedicated to exposing Cuban officials, compiled the list for Díaz-Balart.
Dominguez, who has spent years documenting human rights abuses by Cuban authorities through social media and a network of informants, has indicated that their double lives—previously endorsing the Cuban regime and now chasing the American dream—highlight the hypocrisy of some Cuban migrants.
Former colleagues of Hernández, such as Enrique Garcia, reaffirm the seriousness of the threat posed by ex-Cuban agents now living in the U.S.
Garcia noted, “You can’t be on both sides at the same time,” stressing that those who once served the regime cannot simply suppress their loyalties when migrating to a different political system.
Cuban law prohibits those who have been part of the Communist Party from obtaining residency in the U.S., meaning that Hernández could face deportation proceedings if found guilty of misrepresenting his past.
However, logistical challenges arise as the Trump administration currently only operates a single deportation flight to Cuba each month, making it difficult to repatriate the significant number of Cubans who arrived during the Biden administration with uncertain immigration status.
At Versailles Restaurant, known as a hub for Cuban exiles in Miami’s Little Havana, patrons remain largely supportive of Trump’s immigration reforms.
Despite some apprehension, many regulars are not prepared to sever ties with Trump, with some even donning campaign merchandise in support of his 2024 run.
Others, like Tony Freitas, who arrived from Cuba in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, expressed concern over the fragile standing of migrants under these new policies, saying, “For any little thing, you could be deported.”
As Miami’s Cuban-American community reflects on the implications of these immigration enforcement actions, the delicate balance between political allegiance and personal safety remains ever precarious.
image source from：https://www.wflx.com/2025/05/26/trumps-immigration-crackdown-unnerves-cuban-exiles-long-shielded-deportation/
