Trump Deportation Policy Targets 300,000 Cuban Migrants, Unsettles South Florida Exiles

Federal agents detained Tomás Hernández, a former Cuban intelligence officer, near Miami for allegedly hiding his Communist Party ties during his US residency application, sparking mixed reactions within the Cuban-American community. While some exile hardliners applaud the crackdown as necessary for national security, others view it as a betrayal, fearing they may be targeted next. The Trump administration revoked temporary humanitarian parole for about 300,000 Cuban migrants, leading to increased detentions and deportation notices, including to pro-Trump Cuban rapper Eliéxer Márquez, known as El Funky. This policy shift challenges the long-standing preferential treatment Cuban migrants received under Cold War-era laws, which granted them expedited paths to residency. The tensions have deepened political divides, with Republicans pushing stricter enforcement against former Cuban state agents and Democrats criticizing the crackdown, while activists continue to expose former agents, heightening unease in the community. The evolving immigration policies have thus strained the historically Republican-supporting Cuban-American population, complicating US-Cuba relations and immigration debates.