A Cuban man with a criminal history including armed robbery and cocaine possession was apprehended by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Miami, 16 years after an immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States.
The detainee, identified as Roberto González Fonseca, 57, was taken into federal custody on July 31 during an ICE operation supported by Miami-Dade authorities.
This case came to light via social media through Ali Bradley, senior immigration and border correspondent for NewsNation.
González Fonseca originally entered the United States legally in 1991 and later secured permanent residency. However, his immigration status took a downturn following his conviction for armed robbery. In 2010, an immigration judge ruled for his deportation.
The deportation order went unenforced for over a decade and a half until immigration authorities detained him this summer. Besides his past offenses, the Cuban national faces a new charge related to a cocaine possession arrest in Florida in February of this year.
According to information released by Bradley, González Fonseca remains in ICE custody as he awaits deportation.
His situation is similar to other cases in 2026, where U.S. immigration authorities have detained Cubans with longstanding final deportation orders.
The spike in immigration enforcement is evident in the statistics. ICE's detentions of Cubans surged by 463% between October 2024 and January 2026. In June alone, U.S. immigration courts issued over 1,600 new deportation orders against Cuban nationals.
It's estimated that more than 42,000 Cubans have pending final deportation orders in the United States, indicating that the pace of deportations might continue to rise in the coming months.
Understanding ICE Deportation Actions
Why was Roberto González Fonseca detained by ICE after so many years?
González Fonseca was detained by ICE due to a 2010 deportation order that was not enforced until recently. His detention is part of a broader increase in immigration enforcement actions targeting individuals with unresolved deportation orders.
What led to González Fonseca's deportation order in the first place?
The deportation order was issued after González Fonseca was convicted of armed robbery, which affected his immigration status negatively.
How has the detention of Cubans by ICE changed recently?
ICE detentions of Cubans have increased significantly, with a 463% rise in arrests from October 2024 to January 2026. This trend reflects a heightened focus on enforcing longstanding deportation orders.