The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of operations on Thursday, August 14, leading to the arrest of two Cuban nationals with serious criminal records. The arrests took place in Texas and California as part of ongoing enforcement actions.
The ICE page known as "Worst of the Worst" reported that in Austin, Texas, ICE officers from San Antonio apprehended Juan Romero-Limia, a 50-year-old previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to six years in prison. Meanwhile, in Riverside, California, the Los Angeles ICE team detained Gustavo José González-Recarey, aged 61, who had been sentenced to 11 years for lewd acts with a minor.
These cases are part of the ICE initiative named “Worst Among the Worst,” aimed at highlighting foreign criminals arrested recently. According to the agency, each individual poses a threat to public safety in the United States and is currently under custody or has been deported from the country.
"Every undocumented immigrant listed here has been convicted or accused of heinous crimes that endanger the American public, and they are either under ICE custody or have already been deported from the United States," the site stated. It remains unspecified whether their deportation will be directly to Cuba or to a third country, although their records place them on a high-priority removal list.
Other recent arrests of Cubans with severe criminal backgrounds include Osvaldo Rabiero Álvarez, 72, convicted of forgery, cocaine and heroin trafficking, robbery, and aggravated assault. In Florida, ICE captured Andrés Guilarte, known for cocaine trafficking and vehicle theft offenses. At the end of July, Eduardo Luis Machín Pozo, 64, with drug trafficking and possession convictions in Alabama, was apprehended in New Orleans.
Deportations sometimes face obstacles when the Cuban government refuses to accept nationals with criminal records, forcing U.S. authorities to send them to third countries. The Supreme Court recently authorized deportations to nations other than their origin, overturning a previous court order that required the government to provide affected individuals a meaningful opportunity to explain potential risks they may face in those destinations.
Understanding ICE Operations and Deportation Procedures
What is ICE's "Worst Among the Worst" initiative?
The "Worst Among the Worst" initiative by ICE focuses on identifying and detaining foreign nationals with severe criminal records who pose significant threats to public safety in the U.S.
Why are some deportations not directly to Cuba?
Some deportations are not directly to Cuba because the Cuban government often refuses to accept nationals with criminal histories, necessitating their relocation to third countries.
What recent legal change affects deportation destinations?
The U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed deportations to countries other than the individuals' origin, dismissing a prior judicial order that required the government to offer the deported individuals a chance to discuss the risks in those new destinations.