"That has changed under President Donald Trump. He has repatriated more than 1,600 Cubans in 2025, according to the Cuban government. That is about double the number of Cubans who were repatriated in 2024. And in the years that Trump has been president, he has sent more Cubans back than his three predecessors. Those numbers are greater for Cubans who were deported by land into Mexico."
"Nowhere has the shock of treating Cubans like other migrants been felt more than in Florida, which was shaped in modern times by exiles of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Families, businesses and communities that once felt removed from or immune to immigration enforcement now must face it head-on. Some Floridians worry that these deportations could stain the state's proud Cuban identity, turning older immigrants against newer ones."
Heidy Sánchez, 44, was detained during a routine ICE check-in in Tampa and deported two days later, leaving her 17-month-old breastfeeding daughter to be picked up by her husband. President Donald Trump’s administration repatriated more than 1,600 Cubans in 2025, about double 2024 levels, and has removed more Cubans than his three predecessors. Many deportations involve people with decades-old convictions or long-established U.S. ties, including land deportations into Mexico. Regular deportation flights to Cuba resumed in 2023 after a pandemic pause. Increased enforcement has unsettled Florida’s Cuban communities and raised identity, family, and community concerns.
Read at Sun Sentinel
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