Dairon Fuentes Rodríguez, a Cuban national, experienced an unexpected twist in his immigration journey. Detained in Texas on December 4th during a routine meeting with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), he chose to request voluntary departure from the United States after seven months in detention. This decision was made to avoid accumulating a deportation record, hoping to reunite with his family in the future, as his wife had filed an I-130 petition over two years ago.
However, upon arriving in Cuba on a commercial flight, the Cuban authorities refused his entry, sending him back on the same plane despite having no criminal record in the U.S. Upon his return, he was placed back in a Texas detention center, now caught in a legal limbo with no clear resolution.
His wife, Aylín Hernández, who resides in Houston and is 36 weeks pregnant, shared their ordeal in a live interview with journalist Tania Costa. "I have to speak out because I have no other choice. I have no family here, I'm alone with my 11-year-old son who is also deeply affected by this situation," she expressed at the start of the conversation.
Fuentes, holding an I-220A form and with a clean record, was detained on December 4, 2025, while attending a routine ICE check-in in Houston. The immigration court had paused proceedings pending the approval of the I-130 petition filed by Hernández, leaving the family unprepared for any complications.
"My husband attended all his appointments, and on December 4th, he went to the last one where they detained him without explanation," Hernández recounted.
After being processed in Montgomery County for about two months, Fuentes was moved to Livingston, Texas. His attorney sought bail twice—both requests were denied without a hearing. A habeas corpus was also dismissed, and an application for status adjustment was unsuccessful in court.
Hernández also spoke out about the conditions inside the detention facility: "They treat detainees very poorly. They even force them to sign by taking their fingerprints if they can't write."
Facing the end of all legal avenues, Hernández advised her husband to apply for voluntary departure. "It will be painful, but ask for voluntary departure. If granted, you won't face a 10-year ban, and maybe in a year or two, the petition will be approved, and we can reunite as a family," she told him. He agreed, despite his willingness to endure the ordeal: "He was ready to stay till the end, but I asked him to, as it was too much suffering already."
Fuentes was granted voluntary departure and was taken to the airport by ICE early in the morning, boarding a commercial flight to Cuba with a layover in Miami. "At three in the morning, they transported him to the airport and put him on a flight to Cuba with regular passengers," his wife described, as she continues to work while heavily pregnant, being the family's sole breadwinner.
Upon landing in Cuba, the outcome defied expectations. "They treated him terribly and said that due to the way ICE processed him, they wouldn't accept him, and he would be returned on the same flight," Hernández explained about the reception by Cuban migration authorities.
Fuentes was sent back to the U.S. and re-admitted into the Texas detention center, where he has remained for seven months without any resolution in sight. The family reached out twice to their district's congressman, Dan Crenshaw, but received no response.
This case is part of a larger trend: Cuba has long refused to accept deportees sent by ICE, with over 42,000 Cubans facing final deportation orders that the regime will not accept. Under the Trump administration, Cuban detentions surged by 463%, while permanent residency approvals plummeted by 99.8%.
During the live broadcast, Dairon Fuentes managed to briefly call from the detention center. "Thank you very much for helping us and making this all possible. There are many people like me going through this," he said before the call was disconnected.
Key Issues in Cuban Deportation Cases
Why was Dairon Fuentes Rodríguez detained by ICE?
Dairon Fuentes Rodríguez was detained during a routine check-in with ICE in Houston, despite having no criminal record and being in the process of an I-130 petition filed by his wife.
Why did the Cuban government refuse to accept Fuentes upon his return?
The Cuban authorities refused to admit Fuentes because they disagreed with the way ICE processed his voluntary departure, resulting in him being sent back to the U.S.
What challenges are faced by Cuban detainees under U.S. immigration policies?
Cuban detainees face significant challenges, including increased detentions and a lack of acceptance by Cuba, leading to prolonged legal uncertainty and difficult detention conditions.