Cuban with Violent Criminal Record Apprehended by ICE in the U.S.

Joaquín Palacios Juncal, an undocumented Cuban immigrant with a significant criminal background, was taken into custody last week by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "Another child abuser off American streets!" declared the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on its official account on X, highlighting Palacios as a "serial offender" due to his extensive criminal record.

Palacios's lengthy history includes charges ranging from aggravated child abuse to cocaine possession, assault, possession of a controlled substance, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence, and harassment. While the announcement did not specify, once under ICE custody, Palacios is expected to undergo a process leading to deportation, reflecting the Trump administration's approach to detain and deport thousands of illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Escalating Arrests Under Trump's Directive

Mass arrests of undocumented migrants, orchestrated by ICE in collaboration with other federal and state agencies, have exceeded 149,000 in just seven months. Notably, around 50,000 occurred within the last eight weeks, marking a significant acceleration in operations since May, following a White House admonition that ICE had not been acting decisively enough, as reported by the Washington Examiner.

Statistics reveal that between January and April, there were 68,714 arrests, with significant increases in May (25,645), June (34,962), and early July (over 19,000). This equates to an average of over 700 arrests per day, double the rate observed during the Biden administration, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

ICE's Continued Focus on Criminal Deportations

ICE confirmed in a brief post on X that "the arrests and deportations of criminal illegal immigrants will continue," without distinguishing between offenders and those who have not legalized their status in the country. Recently, the DHS has intensified its crackdown, conducting arrests in immigration courts, workplaces, and public spaces, inciting fear and frustration among immigrant communities seeking opportunities and freedom in the U.S.

For Cubans, the Trump administration's harshened immigration policies since January have left many in limbo, following the abolition of humanitarian parole, the cancellation of CBP One, and the end of the "catch and release" policy at the border. Meanwhile, Cubans with irregular status—many under the I-220A and B programs—but without criminal records or final deportation orders, have been detained and confined in the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center in the Everglades, west of Miami-Dade, from where they are slated for deportation.

Cubans Facing Deportation Amid Political Tensions

However, the arrests have also included a large number of Cuban nationals with severe criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the U.S., labeled as "the worst of the worst" and deemed a "threat to public safety." Some have received final deportation orders. According to DHS statistics, over 42,000 deportable Cuban citizens remain in the U.S. under supervised release or held in detention centers.

The Cuban government, however, refuses to accept Cubans with criminal records in the U.S. or those who have been outside the country since before the January 2017 migration agreements. Facing Havana's resistance, the U.S. has begun deporting Cuban nationals to third countries. Recently, three ineligible Cubans with extensive criminal records were sent to South Sudan and the Kingdom of Eswatini in Africa, while an unspecified number have been deported to Mexico.

As part of the ongoing bilateral migration agreements between Havana and Washington, the latest deportation flight to Cuba was executed last Thursday by the Trump administration, returning 118 individuals. This operation marked the completion of over 583 Cuban immigrants returned to the island by air since President Donald Trump's second term began, according to statistics published by CaféFuerte.