Eduardo Luis Machín Pozo, a Cuban national with a criminal history related to drug trafficking in the United States, was apprehended on Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New Orleans. He now faces deportation proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrest of the 64-year-old Machín Pozo on Monday, labeling him among "the worst illegal foreign criminals, including pedophiles, rapists, and drug traffickers in American communities."
Machín Pozo's criminal record includes previous convictions for drug trafficking, marijuana possession, and dangerous drugs in Russellville, Alabama. DHS did not specify the dates of his offenses or the sentences he received.
Criminal Cubans Facing Deportation
In recent months, numerous Cubans with criminal backgrounds or pending charges, along with irregular status in the U.S., have been detained and are either already deported or awaiting expulsion. If the Cuban government refuses to accept them back, they are deported to third countries.
ICE agents also arrested a Cuban woman named Lianet Peña Font in New Orleans. She spent two years in prison following her conviction for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.
Broader ICE Operations Targeting Criminal Aliens
In Miami, Border Patrol officers detained a Cuban with a history of indecent behavior with a minor, prostitution, and theft. He had a deportation order since 2012 but never left the country. Juan Félix Yanes Montano, aged 56, with convictions for armed robbery, burglary, and kidnapping with a deadly weapon, was also arrested by ICE in Miami-Dade and deemed a "serious threat to public safety."
In New York, federal immigration agents took Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, into custody. His extensive criminal record includes the sexual abuse of an 11-year-old, assault with a weapon, illegal arms possession, and drug sales. All individuals will be expelled from the U.S.
Challenges with Deportation to Cuba
ICE has emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal immigrants with criminal records, utilizing "all available legal authority" to remove them from U.S. soil, even if it involves sending them to countries other than their own. The number of deportable Cubans exceeds 42,000; however, the Havana regime refuses to accept many of them, particularly those with criminal records or who have been out of the country since before 2017.
In response to this refusal, Washington has started deporting some Cuban citizens to third countries, as seen in recent deportation operations to South Sudan and Eswatini in Africa, a move endorsed by the Supreme Court.
Key Questions About ICE Deportations
What are the main reasons for Eduardo Luis Machín Pozo's arrest?
Machín Pozo was arrested due to his criminal history in drug trafficking, marijuana possession, and other dangerous drug offenses in the United States.
How does the U.S. handle the deportation of Cubans if Cuba refuses to accept them?
When the Cuban government refuses to accept deportees, the U.S. may deport them to third countries, a practice recently approved by the Supreme Court.
What is ICE's policy towards illegal immigrants with criminal records?
ICE maintains a zero-tolerance policy, using all legal means to deport illegal immigrants with criminal histories from the U.S., even if it means sending them to countries other than their own.