Could Trump Resolve the Immigration Limbo for Over Half a Million Cubans with a Single Signature?

Yes, former President Donald Trump had the potential to address the immigration status of more than 500,000 Cubans stuck in legal uncertainty in the United States with just a signature, as explained by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, an attorney and journalist, and former director of Radio and Television Martí, in an article published by The Wall Street Journal.

The legal expert suggested that an executive order could suffice for the U.S. government to acknowledge the I-220A immigration form as a form of humanitarian parole. This recognition would enable thousands of Cubans to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and secure permanent residency.

Shapiro highlighted that since 2019, the Border Patrol had been releasing some migrants under "humanitarian parole," while others were freed using the I-220A document, which authorities considered a "conditional release."

In 2023, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled that the I-220A did not equate to humanitarian parole, leaving hundreds of thousands of Cubans outside the protection offered by the adjustment act.

Currently, this issue is being contested in federal courts within the 2nd and 11th Circuits. Plaintiffs argue that since Cubans with I-220A were released on U.S. soil, they should be recognized as humanitarian parole beneficiaries and have the right to regularize their status.

“The president doesn't need to wait for the courts to decide,” Shapiro asserted. “He could exercise his executive authority to recognize the I-220A as humanitarian parole, resolve the legal controversy, and rescue hundreds of thousands of Cubans from a life under communism.”

According to Shapiro, such an action would not only relieve the burden on the judicial and immigration systems but also reaffirm the U.S. government's commitment to those who fled the Cuban regime seeking freedom.

The attorney recalled that Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966 to acknowledge the political persecution and repression citizens face on the island.

He reiterated that by taking action, Trump would send a clear political message against communism and in support of the Cuban exile community.

“Providing those Cubans with an I-220A the chance to adjust their status under the law would be a heroic gesture,” Shapiro wrote, concluding that the president had the opportunity to correct an immigration injustice with a simple executive signature.