Tomás Hernández, a 71-year-old former high-ranking official in Cuba’s foreign intelligence agency, was detained by federal agents outside his Miami-area home in March.
The U.S. immigration officials accuse him of concealing his connections to Cuba’s Communist Party while obtaining permanent residency in the United States.
This detention is part of a broader trend affecting Cuban-Americans, particularly given the politically charged atmosphere surrounding immigration enforcement in the wake of the Trump administration’s policies.
The recent apprehensions of Hernández and a number of former Cuban government officials have garnered significant support from the Cuban-American exile community in South Florida.
For many, it reflects a desire for a stronger stance against the Cuban government, seen as a political boon for Cuban-American hardliners.
Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin American expert at Florida International University, notes that while some embrace these actions, others in the community are apprehensive, fearing that they could be the next targets of deportation efforts.
This apprehension is heightened among the roughly 2.4 million Cuban-Americans who historically have received favorable treatment in U.S. immigration policies, particularly during the Trump administration, which implemented a series of strict immigration measures.
Trump’s mass deportation pledge, which includes the recent moves against some Cubans, has unsettled this community, leading to conflicting sentiments among its members.
In March, the administration also revoked temporary humanitarian protections that had safeguarded around 300,000 Cubans from deportation, resulting in increased uncertainty and fear among many Cuban migrants in the U.S.
Among those facing deportation is Eliéxer Márquez, a pro-Trump Cuban rapper celebrated for his song “Patria y Vida,” an anthem that has drawn acclaim for its anti-communist sentiments.
Márquez recently received a notice demanding he leave the U.S. within 30 days.
This situation marks a significant shift in the treatment of Cuban immigrants, who were once afforded almost automatic refugee status under Cold War-era laws targeting Fidel Castro’s regime.
Historically, these laws allowed Cuban migrants to secure green cards just one year after arriving in the U.S., offering them protections that were not extended to migrants from other nations.
As seen in polls leading up to the last presidential election, Cuban-American support for Trump reached unprecedented heights, bolstered by his promises to take a hardline approach against the Cuban government.
These actions have led many to believe that the Cuban community might remain insulated from broader immigration enforcement actions aimed at migrants from other countries.
However, Democrats have sought to leverage the situation to their political advantage, framing the immigration enforcement actions as betrayals of the Cuban-American community.
In April, grassroots organizations endeavored to raise awareness by erecting billboards in Miami, denouncing Republican leaders like Marco Rubio and Miami’s congressional representatives—Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Carlos Giménez—as “traitors” for failing to shield vulnerable Cuban migrants from the Trump administration’s policies.
Giménez has been active in advocating for stricter enforcement of immigration laws, recently sending a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, urging the identification and deportation of alleged former Cuban state agents and Communist Party officials living in the U.S.
In his letter, Giménez stated that such individuals pose a direct threat to national security and undermine the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.
Luis Dominguez, who emigrated from Cuba in 1971, has taken it upon himself to compile lists of former Cuban officials accused of human rights abuses, which he shares with federal law enforcement.
Dominguez’s efforts have led to the identification of over 1,200 state agents, with approximately 150 reportedly residing in the United States.
His findings indicate infiltration of the recent waves of migration by individuals linked to the Castro regime, raising concerns about their loyalty to the U.S.
Through platforms like his website, Represores Cubanos, Dominguez aims to highlight the alleged double lives led by these individuals, condemning their past actions while seeking refuge in America.
The complexities surrounding Hernández’s case—and those like his—underscore the difficulties embedded within current U.S. immigration law, which generally prohibits membership in Communist parties.
Anyone found to have misrepresented their past affiliations on their green card applications risks deportation or legal prosecution.
Yet, the process of deporting Cubans is fraught with challenges, particularly given the limited capacity for deportations to Cuba.
Currently, the Trump administration utilizes a single plane for deportation flights to Cuba each month, a rate that would take centuries to address the backlog of Cuban migrants without protected status.
As tensions rise, opinions vary among Miami’s Cuban exiles.
At Versailles Restaurant, a focal point in Little Havana, many patrons express strong support for Trump’s crackdown on migration.
Iconic figures within this anti-Communist enclave, like 83-year-old Rafael Nieto, openly showcase their support for the former president, wearing merchandise emblazoned with Trump’s name.
Even amidst the support, a palpable tension exists as others quietly express their concerns regarding possible deportations and the uncertain future of the community.
Tony Freitas, a Cuban immigrant who arrived during the Mariel boatlift in the 1980s, captured this unease, whispering, “People are trembling. For any little thing, you could be deported.”
image source from：https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/cuban-exiles-were-shielded-from-deportation-now-trump-is-cracking-down/3622705/
