A Cuban national with a criminal record for drug trafficking and other offenses in the United States is facing deportation after being apprehended by the New Orleans branch of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency announced on Sunday.
Robert Santiesteban, convicted of manufacturing and distributing controlled substances—an offense classified as serious—also has charges for illegal possession of a firearm and theft of services, as noted by ICE in a social media post shared by the White House. The statement concluded with a sarcastic tone: "He called it trafficking. We call it a one-way ticket," referencing Santiesteban's impending forced deportation, aligned with the Trump administration's policy of expelling immigrants with illegal status, particularly those with criminal records or pending charges.
ICE has emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds, pledging to use "all available legal authority" to remove them from U.S. soil, even to third countries if their home nations refuse to accept them.
Recently, two other Cuban nationals with criminal backgrounds related to drug trafficking were also apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities. In New Orleans, ICE detained Eduardo Luis Machín Pozo, 64, who has previous convictions for drug trafficking, marijuana possession, and handling dangerous drugs in Russellville, Alabama. In the same city, Lianet Peña Font was taken into custody after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, for which she served 24 months in a federal prison.
Their cases are part of the robust immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has significantly increased raids, arrests, and deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal charges or records in the United States, including a considerable number of Cubans. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as of December 2024, the number of Cuban nationals with final deportation orders rose to 42,084.
Last Thursday, 118 individuals were deported to Cuba during the seventh aerial operation executed by the Trump administration since January of this year. However, the Havana regime refuses to accept Cubans who have been outside the country before the January 2017 migration agreements or those with criminal records in the U.S. Faced with this refusal, Washington has begun deporting Cuban nationals to third countries. Recently, three ineligible Cubans with extensive criminal histories were sent to South Sudan and the Kingdom of Eswatini in Africa, while an unspecified number have been transferred via deportation flights to Mexico.
Key Questions About ICE's Deportation Policies
What is ICE's stance on immigrants with criminal records?
ICE maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards immigrants with criminal backgrounds, using all legal means to deport them from the United States.
How is the Cuban government responding to deportations?
The Cuban government refuses to accept nationals deported from the U.S. who have been outside Cuba since before the 2017 agreements or those with criminal records.
Where are Cuban nationals being deported if not accepted by Cuba?
Cuban nationals not accepted by Cuba may be deported to third countries. Recently, some were sent to South Sudan, the Kingdom of Eswatini, and Mexico.