For the first time, Cuban immigrants in the United States are living in fear of ICE raids on Miami's streets and deportation, as the Trump administration ends the exceptional privileges they once enjoyed.
According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, nearly 2.5 million people of Cuban origin live in the United States, representing about 80% of those who emigrated from Cuba and their descendants. Approximately 1.8 million, or 72%, were born in Cuba, confirming a significant increase from around 50% in 2020. In the 2022–2023 biennium, some 625,000 Cubans were processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), presenting as asylum seekers and granted temporary status, with the option to apply for permanent residency after one year under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Another 110,000 entered via the humanitarian parole program.
The Trump administration has rejected the legitimacy of these processes, placing Cuban immigrants in legal limbo that could lead to deportation. Historically, the United States encouraged Cuban emigration to drain the island's human capital, introduce societal instability, and build a counterrevolutionary base abroad. In Miami, the CIA established its largest station to wage war against Cuba, granting privileges to exiles who integrated into local politics and economy, though some linked to terrorism and drug trafficking.
Now, with a shifted strategy toward Cuba aimed at limiting migration to heighten internal tensions, and amid Trumpism's xenophobic philosophy, these privileges are eroding. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lumped immigrants with “killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” Doors to Cuban emigration are closed; even visitors are not accepted. Residency processes are stalled, and a “thorough review” of prior cases has been announced.
Recently, The New York Times reports the Trump administration transferred 22 Cuban immigrants to the Guantánamo Bay U.S. naval base—the first since Trump returned to office in his mass deportation campaign. ICE has detained over 700 immigrants there this year. Work permits are canceled, and bank accounts can be seized without proven immigration status.
This atmosphere of insecurity may influence the political behavior of the Cuban American community, which overwhelmingly supported Trump. While major shifts are unlikely, the election of Eileen Higgins as Miami mayor—the first woman, Democrat, and non-Cuban American in 30 years—signals potential change. For Cuba, curbing outflows increases domestic tensions but aids the economy and demographics, necessitating policy reviews to engage Cubans abroad.