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Trump Has Deported More Cubans in His Second Term Than All of His First.

Resist Now 3 min read
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Trump’s second-term deportation of Cuban nationals has already exceeded the total from his entire first term, according to a June 2026 Guardian investigation. The shift marks a sharp break from decades of US policy that treated Cubans fleeing communist rule as presumptive political refugees.

The pattern is visible in individual cases. May Díaz, 36, from the Cuban city of Camaguey, was beaten by police after participating in the nationwide July 11, 2021 protests against the Cuban government. She entered the United States on October 13, 2021, was released on her own recognizance within days, and applied for asylum while working legally in Texas and Florida.

Then came three steps in rapid succession. The US Customs and Immigration Services rejected her asylum application in October 2025. Her work permit was rescinded in November 2025. ICE agents visited her Houston apartment unannounced in March 2026. She was not home. She packed her bags and moved to Miami.

“Through his immigration policies, Trump is trampling on what this country has always stood for.”

May Díaz, Cuban asylum seeker, The Guardian, June 14, 2026

Each administrative action removed a legal buffer that had previously shielded Cuban nationals from deportation. Her case is not exceptional. The Guardian reports that Díaz’s situation is “hardly unique.”

Decades of Cuban Refugee Policy Are Being Reversed in Practice

Under Cold War-era law, Cuban nationals fleeing communist persecution were granted preferential immigration status. The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 gave Cubans a pathway to permanent residence unavailable to migrants from other countries. That framework is being bypassed through a combination of asylum denials, work permit cancellations, and ICE raids, without a formal legislative repeal of the underlying statute.

The administration has not publicly explained why Cuban nationals with pending asylum cases and valid work permits are being prioritized for removal. ICE did not comment on Díaz’s case.

What You Can Do Now

  1. Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to demand oversight hearings into ICE enforcement against Cuban asylum seekers with pending or recently denied cases. Ask specifically why work permits are being rescinded before deportation proceedings conclude.

  2. Call your House representative at (202) 225-3121 and ask them to investigate whether USCIS is applying a consistent legal standard when rejecting Cuban asylum applications, or whether the rejections reflect an undisclosed enforcement directive. Find your representative at house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

  3. Contact the National Immigration Law Center at (213) 639-3900 or nilc.org to ask how to connect Cuban asylum seekers in your community with legal representation before an ICE visit occurs. NILC tracks administrative changes to asylum processing that do not appear in public rulemaking.

  4. Submit a comment to USCIS opposing any unpublished policy directive that changes the evidentiary standard for Cuban political asylum claims. Search “USCIS asylum Cuban” at regulations.gov and submit during any open comment window, or contact USCIS directly at 1-800-375-5283 to request the basis for the policy change.

Sources

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