U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have apprehended Cuban national Lázaro Vladimir Martínez Argundi in Lansing, Michigan, due to his criminal record involving child sexual abuse offenses. Martínez Argundi, aged 53, was identified alongside four other undocumented immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador as some of the "worst foreign criminals" detained in the country this week. These individuals have been convicted of offenses including second-degree murder, child sexual abuse, domestic assault by strangulation, and attempted rape, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
All the detainees are currently held in ICE custody awaiting deportation procedures, according to DHS. The ICE office in Detroit was responsible for the arrest of Martínez Argundi, who has been convicted of distributing or promoting child sexual abuse activities and possessing child abuse material.
In a social media post on X, DHS labeled him as "sick" and listed him among "the worst of the worst illegal alien criminals" that the Trump administration is actively removing from the streets. "ICE conducts targeted enforcement operations to fulfill President Trump's executive order—Secure Our Borders and Protect the American People Against Invasions—which empowers DHS to identify and expel individuals with heinous criminal backgrounds," the statement explained.
The statement included remarks from Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin, who stated concerning the detainees: "These are not minor offenses. They are predators, abusers, and murderers who should never have been in our country in the first place." She also warned, "If you are in this country illegally and have harmed others, your days here are numbered."
In recent months, there have been multiple reports of Cuban citizens in the U.S. being arrested for severe crimes, many of whom have been deported or are awaiting deportation. Cubans eligible for deportation might be sent to a third country due to the Cuban government's reluctance to accept back emigrants with criminal records or those who left the country before 2017.
Over 42,000 Cuban nationals in the U.S. have final deportation orders and are under supervised release, but the regime refuses to take them back. In May, Cubans Enrique Arias Hierro and José Manuel Rodríguez Quiñones were deported to South Sudan as part of a group of eight immigrants with serious criminal convictions in the U.S. who had final deportation orders from ICE.
A federal judge, Brian Murphy, temporarily halted the deportation flight, which was diverted to a naval base in Djibouti, where the immigrants were detained under harsh conditions in a converted shipping container. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling, allowing the flight to reach South Sudan before midnight on July 4. The African nation, ravaged by conflict, offers no familial or historical ties to those expelled.
Meanwhile, as part of the Trump administration's stricter immigration policy, there has been an escalation in raids, arrests in immigration courts, and deportations of Cuban nationals previously admitted under programs like I-220A or I-220B and those with pending immigration processes.
FAQs on Cuban Deportations from the U.S.
Why are some Cubans sent to third countries for deportation?
Some Cubans are deported to third countries due to the Cuban government's refusal to accept back emigrants with criminal records or those who left before 2017.
What was the outcome of the federal court's intervention in the deportation to South Sudan?
A federal judge temporarily halted the deportation flight, but the U.S. Supreme Court later overturned this decision, allowing the deportation to proceed to South Sudan.
What are some of the crimes that led to the detention of foreign nationals by ICE?
The detained foreign nationals have been convicted of crimes such as second-degree murder, child sexual abuse, domestic assault by strangulation, and attempted rape.