ICE in Miami Apprehends Two Undocumented Cuban Nationals with Criminal Records

This week in Florida, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took into custody two Cuban nationals with extensive criminal backgrounds. This action is part of the Trump administration's intensified operations targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. The Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Miami reported that Gilberto Michael Marrero Henríquez, 40, was apprehended for residing illegally in the U.S. since 2015. His past convictions include driving under the influence (DUI), fraud, grand theft, probation violations, and traffic offenses.

In a separate operation, the ERO team in Tampa arrested Noslen Hernández Guerra, 39, who had been convicted of wire fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and possession of forgery tools. Hernández Guerra, who faced trial in 2017, had been under a final deportation order since 2016 but remained illegally in the country according to the current administration.

These arrests come amid increased scrutiny of U.S. immigration policies, which have recently renewed efforts to deport individuals to third countries. This is particularly significant given certain countries, like Cuba, refuse to accept their citizens with criminal pasts.

The detainment of the two Cuban nationals follows the recent revelation of another Cuban migrant's situation. Deported in July to Eswatini, a small African nation ruled by an absolute monarchy, this individual has been imprisoned without charges or legal representation for seven weeks. This migrant was part of a group forcibly relocated from the U.S. under a secret deportation program to third countries, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a Supreme Court decision allowed such expulsions without basic legal assurances.

The Cuban, previously accused of murder and gang affiliation, was labeled by U.S. authorities as among the "criminals so barbaric" that their home countries refused to take them back. However, his indefinite detention under questionable conditions has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.

The policy of deporting migrants to unrelated countries was solidified in June after a Supreme Court ruling lifted previous judicial restrictions, enabling the White House to enforce the measure even in cases alleging risks of torture or death. Since then, migrants have been sent to nations like South Sudan, Eswatini, and Rwanda amid accusations of lack of transparency, arbitrary detentions, and denial of legal defense.

Meanwhile, immigration authorities in Florida continue to intensify operations against undocumented individuals with criminal records, whom they view as a "threat to public safety." "The arrests of Marrero Henríquez and Hernández Guerra underscore our ongoing commitment to locating and removing individuals with criminal backgrounds who violate U.S. immigration laws," stated ERO Miami in a social media release.

Despite migration agreements obligating Havana to accept the return of its citizens, the Cuban government routinely refuses to repatriate those with serious convictions. This refusal has driven the U.S. government to seek alternatives in third countries, often with no cultural, linguistic, or legal ties to the migrants.

This crisis has alarmed legal experts and human rights defenders, who warn against using these nations as "dumping grounds" for undesirables, exposing migrants to harsh treatment, imprisonment without trial, and extreme displacement.