Immigration officials deport 120 Cubans to Havana — just the beginning?

Over time, Cuban migrants have experienced varying U.S. government policies with respect to their admission into, and removal from, the United States.  It appears that the Trump administration may be targeting Cuban migrants, as well as many others, for removal.

U.S. government policies toward Cuban migration is big news in Florida.  Monique O. Madan for the Miami Herald reports that immigration officials deported 120 Cubans on one flight last week, which appears to be one of the largest mas repatriation of Cubans in recent history. According to the story, the “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement charter flight from New Orleans to Havana was one of many to come, two federal sources say, noting that officials have been quietly ramping up their efforts to detain and send undocumented Cubans back to the island.”

The removal of Cuban nationals reflects the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” approach to undocumented immigrants.  The removals are the result of an agreement signed by the U.S. and Cuban governments under former President Barack Obama in his last days in office.

To this point, the numbers of Cuban deportees has not been great.  The number of Cubans deported has risen from 160 in the first year of the Trump administration to 743 this fiscal year.

KJ