Cuban Regime Reacts to Potential Rise in Deportations from the U.S.

Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister, has denied any discussion between the Trump administration and the Cuban government regarding potential increases in deportations or broader migration issues. "There has been no such request from the U.S. government," de Cossío stated in an interview with Reuters. "We have yet to sit down and discuss if such a scenario would be feasible," he added.

Despite de Cossío's comments, reports from Reuters last week suggested that the Trump administration is contemplating withdrawing the legal status of approximately 530,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These individuals had been permitted entry into the U.S. legally through the humanitarian parole program. This move is considered part of a broader strategy to dismantle Biden-era parole programs that allowed around 1.8 million migrants to enter the United States.

Additionally, the Trump administration has paused the processing of residency applications for beneficiaries of the Humanitarian Parole and other immigration programs established under President Joe Biden, citing "concerns of fraud and security." This suspension is set to remain until procedures are thoroughly reviewed.

Deportation of Cubans Back to the Island

The existing migration agreements, dating back to the 1980s, have seen Cuba regularly accepting deported immigrants from the U.S. via air and sea. Since President Trump took office on January 20, a flight carrying 104 deported citizens has landed on the island. However, Fernández de Cossío cautions that "large-scale deportations of Cubans initially admitted legally to the U.S. were never part of the migration agreements between the two countries."

This statement indicates that the Cuban regime might not easily facilitate the return of Cubans who were granted humanitarian parole. The Deputy Minister emphasized that when the agreements were signed, the idea of the U.S. admitting and then denying entry to people was not considered reasonable at that time. Therefore, "any similar situation would need to be discussed."

When asked whether the Cuban government would cooperate with such an agreement, the diplomat declined to comment, calling it "unrealistic and unjust." The White House, the U.S. State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to Reuters' inquiries regarding the deportation of Cubans.

Cuba Blames the U.S. for Encouraging Migration

For decades, the Cuban government has accused the United States of promoting mass migration from the island by implementing a mix of economic sanctions and favorable immigration policies for Cubans. According to Havana, these sanctions are intended to economically strangle the country, precipitating an internal crisis that forces thousands of Cubans to seek better living conditions abroad.

Authorities in Cuba argue that U.S. laws offer Cubans a more accessible path to citizenship compared to other nationalities, acting as an additional incentive for emigration. Carlos Fernández de Cossío, the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, has reiterated this point, highlighting that Cubans arriving in the U.S. do so under more favorable conditions than other migrants. "They did not break down a wall or scale a fence to enter the United States; they were invited," he stated, emphasizing that Washington's immigration policies favor Cubans over other migrant groups.

However, the U.S. government holds a starkly different view. From Washington's perspective, the communist Cuban regime is directly responsible for the current migration crisis, citing mismanagement of the economy and systematic human rights violations as primary causes. U.S. officials argue that the lack of political freedoms, repression of dissent, and internal economic crisis, exacerbated by poor state management, are the true drivers of the Cuban exodus.

The Cuban migration crisis has intensified in recent years, reaching unprecedented levels. Since 2020, over a million Cubans have left the island, representing roughly 10% of the nation's total population. Analysts note that this phenomenon has few parallels in peacetime and is comparable only to massive migration movements seen during wars or severe humanitarian crises.

Currently, Cubans are among the major groups of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Many have entered the U.S. through legal admission programs promoted during the Biden administration, while others have taken irregular routes to reach American soil.