An examination by the Cato Institute has highlighted the severe repercussions of the Trump administration's immigration policies on Cuban nationals residing in the United States. The detentions of Cubans by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surged by an astonishing 463% from October 2024 to January of this year.
In stark contrast, green card approvals for Cuban migrants plummeted by 99.8% during the same timeframe.
Based in Washington D.C., the Cato Institute is a think tank that operates independently of any political party, advocating for public policies grounded in the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
The report, which analyzes arrest and residency approval data, demonstrates the consequences of the current White House's immigration strategies. These policies have left tens of thousands of Cuban migrants in an unprecedented legal limbo.
The findings, accessed by Univisión 23 journalist Daniel Benítez, reveal that in January this year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received 7,086 residency applications from Cubans, yet only 15 were approved and four denied, leaving thousands of cases in indefinite suspension.
To illustrate the decline, consider this comparison: in February 2025, the last full month of the Biden administration, USCIS approved 10,984 permanent residencies for Cubans.
The Deliberate Collapse of Cuban Immigration Processes
According to the Cato Institute, the breakdown of these processes is both intentional and systematic.
"Cuban immigrants have faced especially coordinated persecution. By late February 2025, USCIS halted all immigration applications, including those for permanent residency, Temporary Protected Status, employment authorization documents, and other immigration benefits, for applicants who entered under parole programs for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, effectively canceling their underlying parole status to facilitate ICE arrests," the report states.
This suspension turned thousands of legal entrants under the CHNV parole into direct ICE targets by stripping them of valid immigration status.
Cubans were disproportionately affected, largely because the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 permits them to apply for permanent residency after one year of legal presence without the typical consular process.
"Cubans were the most adversely affected because the Cuban Adjustment Act allowed them eligibility for permanent residency and green cards," the Cato Institute report concludes.
Legal Challenges and Community Impact
The practical implications of the Cuban Adjustment Act have been halted due to USCIS's suspension, effectively blocking the law's application without formally repealing it—a power that resides solely with Congress.
The case of José Miguel Suri Hernández exemplifies this legal entrapment: although he legally entered the U.S. via parole in 2024 and was eligible for a green card under the Cuban Adjustment Act, his application remained pending. In March 2026, ICE detained him because USCIS had suspended his application for seven months.
In December 2025, the suspension extended to Cubans and nationals from an initial 18, later expanding to 40, countries, linked to a presidential travel restriction decree from June 2025.
In February, ICE and USCIS directors jointly authorized the arrest of refugees with pending applications, reversing a previous internal policy prohibiting such actions.
Florida: A Hotspot for Cuban Detentions
Florida has emerged as a focal point for Cuban detentions, with 708 cases recorded by December 2025, primarily in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Collier counties, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Miami ICE office leads in U.S. immigration arrests since Trump took office, averaging 120 daily detentions, as reported by The New York Times and the organization Americans For Immigrant Justice.
Since January 2025, the Miami ICE office—covering Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands—has documented 41,310 detentions, with 9,880 occurring in 2026, outpacing all other U.S. offices.
Overall, detentions of migrants in public places surged by 1,000% across the U.S. in 2025, with community arrests rising by 600%, according to the American Immigration Council.
Since January 2025, over 4,883 Cubans have been deported from the U.S., including on direct flights to Cuba and via third countries like Mexico, South Sudan, and Eswatini.
In response to the processing collapse, attorneys filed a federal class-action lawsuit in March 2026 against USCIS for delays in over 100,000 Cuban residency applications.
The Department of Homeland Security reports 42,084 Cubans with final deportation orders as of November 2025, suggesting that rather than easing, the immigration pressure on the Cuban community in the U.S. might intensify in the coming months.
Understanding the Impact of U.S. Immigration Policies on Cuban Migrants
Why has there been a significant increase in ICE detentions of Cuban migrants?
The increase is attributed to the Trump administration's immigration policies, which have led to a significant rise in detentions by systematically targeting Cuban migrants, particularly those who entered under parole programs.
What is the Cuban Adjustment Act, and how does it affect Cuban migrants?
The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 allows Cuban nationals to apply for permanent residency after one year of legal presence in the U.S. Recent suspensions by USCIS have effectively blocked the application of this law, leaving many in a legal limbo.
How has the suspension of immigration applications affected Cuban migrants?
The suspension has left many Cuban migrants without valid immigration status, making them vulnerable to ICE detentions and deportations, despite their eligibility for legal residency under existing laws.