Miguel Ángel Alba Rosario, a Cuban doctor detained in a federal facility in Texas, has been held in immigration custody for more than a year without a court resolution, as reported by Univision on Wednesday.
"It's been terrible. We've spent a year where I've had to be both mom and dad. I have three brilliant children at school," said Sandra, Alba's wife, speaking to the television station.
Alba entered the United States in 2022 using the migration form I-220A and was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on November 4, 2025, in Houston, Texas, during a routine immigration check.
Since his arrest, Alba has been held at the IAH detention center in Livingston, Texas—a federal facility described by detained Cubans as overcrowded, oppressively hot, and lacking in hygiene.
"I'm here in Livingston, Texas, in a federal jail with poor conditions. I've been imprisoned for over a year now," Alba stated from the detention center.
An immigration judge denied his asylum request despite his clean criminal record and familial support.
His wife, also a doctor, is raising their three young children alone, one of whom is a legal resident in the United States.
During the interview, the doctor's eldest son sent a text message asking about his father, highlighting the emotional toll of a separation exceeding 12 months.
Alba summed up his situation, reflecting the plight of many Cuban families in similar limbo: "I am a family man striving to improve myself."
Before emigrating, Alba participated in a Cuban medical mission in Brazil—part of the Mais Médicos program—and left voluntarily, which led to penalties within Cuba's public health system and barred him from practicing on the island. After arriving in the U.S., he worked as a medical assistant in a Houston clinic.
The doctor's legal team filed a habeas corpus petition on October 20 with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (case Alba Rosario v. Sanchez, No. 26-40653) aiming to prevent his deportation and secure his release. As of this publication, the court had not issued a final decision.
The legal landscape is particularly challenging: just three days after the petition was filed, the Fifth Circuit ruled—by a vote of 10 to 7—that certain immigrants under mandatory detention do not have an automatic constitutional right to an individual bond hearing, a ruling directly impacting detained Cubans in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
"Unfortunately, that circuit does not guarantee that he will not be removed from the country," warned one of the attorneys involved in the case.
Other Cuban doctors with I-220A have faced similar detentions, including Dr. José Enrique Batista Méndez, who was arrested in San Antonio in June 2025, and Álvaro Zapata Inza, also a deserter from a Brazilian mission, detained the same month in southern Texas.
The I-220A is a supervised release form that ICE used extensively to release migrants while their cases progressed. However, the Board of Immigration Appeals determined it does not equate to the humanitarian parole required by the Cuban Adjustment Act for applying for permanent residency, blocking this path for thousands of Cubans who arrived between 2021 and 2023.
A recent analysis of the situation facing Cubans with I-220A in the courts reveals a scenario of growing legal uncertainty.
Understanding the Challenges for Cuban Doctors in ICE Detention
Why has Miguel Ángel Alba Rosario been detained for over a year?
Miguel Ángel Alba Rosario has been held in ICE custody due to unresolved immigration status, despite having no criminal record and family support. His asylum request was denied, leaving him in legal limbo.
What are the conditions like in the detention center where Alba is held?
The IAH detention center in Livingston, Texas, is described as overcrowded, extremely hot, and lacking in hygiene, making conditions challenging for detainees.
What legal actions have been taken to secure Alba's release?
Alba's legal team filed a habeas corpus petition with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop his deportation and obtain his release. However, the court has yet to issue a final decision.