In less than three years as residents, they made four short trips to Cuba to visit relatives.
Miami – a couple of Cubanspermanent residents in the United States, was arrested and subject to interrogation by CBP officers (Customs and Border Protection) at Miami International Airport. After returning from a trip to Cuba, they received a summons to appear before an immigration judge, who will evaluate whether they maintain or lose their legal status.
During a live broadcast on your Facebook pagethe journalist Javier Díaz explained that both are young – between 32 and 36 years – who entered the country crossing the southern border and requested protection. After a year, they obtained the residence through the Cuban adjustment law, although they did not present a formal case of political asylum; Its input registration indicates that they arrived as protection applicants.
In less than three years as residents, they made four short trips to Cuba to visit relatives. On their most recent arrival, they were separated by officers and sent to the well -known “Cuartico”, where they were questioned about the frequency of their trips and the fact of returning to the country they said they fled. One of the officers reminded them that “a person who crosses the border claiming fear for his life should not return to the country he fled,” warning that this behavior could be interpreted as a contradiction against the initial statement.
The officer then issued a notification to appear before an immigration judge. According to lawyer cited by Díaz, this type of procedure can be used as a warning to discourage repeated trips or as an initial step of a formal process to question the legal permanence of residents, especially if a pattern of repeated visits to Cuba is demonstrated.
Precisely, Díaz warned that the situation “does not affect all Cubans who travel”, but “just meet an officer who decides to apply the law to 100 %” so that a resident is summoned before a judge. In court, the authorities may present as evidence the history of entrances and exits; If it was concluded that the foundation of the income was breached – the fear of persecution -, the judge could revoke the residence and order the deportation.
Díaz emphasized: “I do not risk a benefit that thousands of people in Cuba would like to have and cannot.” Other jurists have recommended that Cuban is preferably travel to the island that already has American citizenship.
