In short
- 68% of Cuban Americans in Florida voted for Donald Trump two years ago, and Miami immigration lawyer Ismael Labrador, who backed him, now says he regrets that vote.
- A Florida International University poll released on Thursday found 76% of South Florida Cubans disapprove of the Trump administration’s deportations of Cubans with no criminal record.
- Grace Calero, 39, an Ecuadorean immigrant, and her 19-year-old daughter Giulianna Carriel were arrested by ICE agents in a hospital ward in Kissimmee, Florida, and deported to Ecuador within days.
- The White House says more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US as a result of Trump’s policies, while ICE says it targets anyone in the country illegally who has broken US immigration law.
- Trump beat Kamala Harris in Florida by 56.1% to 43%, and an NBC News/Telemundo poll of 8,000 registered Latino voters found nearly 60% favour Democratic control of Congress.
Two years after 68% of Cuban Americans in Florida voted for Donald Trump, a Miami immigration lawyer who backed him says he regrets it, with federal agents arresting immigrants across Florida and a new poll finding most South Florida Cubans oppose deportations of people without criminal records.
What changed for Cuban Americans in Florida?
Ismael Labrador, a Cuban-born immigration lawyer in Miami, said his appointment book was filled with relatives of detained immigrants seeking their release before deportation. “We have relatives living in fear right now, we’ve had relatives who have been deported back to Cuba, unfortunately,” Labrador said.
Cubans have traditionally held a favoured US immigration status under the Cuban Adjustment Act, legislation from the 1960s. Labrador said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests across Florida had left the community more exposed than its members imagined. “If you don’t have a Green Card in the United States, you may be a target,” he said.
Arrests have been recorded at schoolyards, bus stops and inside courthouses. In one case, Grace Calero, 39, an Ecuadorean immigrant, and her 19-year-old daughter Giulianna Carriel were arrested in a hospital ward in Kissimmee, central Florida, while being treated after a car crash, and deported to Ecuador within days.
What do the polls say?
A poll released on Thursday by Florida International University found 76% of South Florida Cubans disapprove of the administration’s deportations of Cubans with no criminal record. Support for the Republican Party remained firm: 68% said they plan to vote Republican in November.
Labrador was among the 68% of Cuban Americans in Florida who voted for Trump two years ago and expected only people with criminal records to be deported. “I think we got blindsided by the administration,” he said. “We never thought that he was going to go after everybody.” He added: “This isn’t what I voted for.”
Who else has criticised the deportations?
Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents Florida’s 27th Congressional district, said in a video filmed outside the White House that the deportation policy had gone “too far”. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” she said, addressing Trump. Salazar faces Democrat Eliott Rodríguez in a tight race.
Why do some Cuban Americans still back Trump?
At a recent gathering of Cuban American entrepreneurs in Miami, the mood remained staunchly pro-Trump. “Miami loves Trump, Cuban Americans love Trump,” said real estate businessman Juan Omar Sixto, who acknowledged he entered the US illegally six decades earlier. “They agree with Trump that anyone who crossed the border illegally should be out,” he said. Miami has also received Latin American political figures: Brazilian politician Flávio Bolsonaro landed in the city after leaving Brazil via Argentina.
A White House spokeswoman told the BBC that Trump was elected to deliver mass deportations: “He stopped the invasion of our country and as a result of his policies more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US.” ICE says it targets anyone who has broken US immigration law and is in the country illegally.
Is Latino support for Republicans falling?
Trump beat Kamala Harris in Florida by 56.1% to 43%. An NBC News/Telemundo poll of 8,000 registered Latino voters found nearly 60% favour Democratic control of Congress, against 35% who want a Republican victory. Elsewhere in the region, Lula’s election win in Brazil has dented Trump’s plan for a right-leaning Latin America.
Frequently asked questions
How many Cuban Americans in Florida voted for Donald Trump?
68% of Cuban Americans in Florida voted for Donald Trump two years ago, according to the BBC. A separate Florida International University poll found 68% of South Florida Cubans still plan to vote Republican in November.
What did the Florida International University poll find?
The poll, released on Thursday, found that 76% of South Florida Cubans disapprove of the Trump administration’s deportations of Cubans with no criminal record, while 68% said they intend to vote Republican.
Who was arrested in the hospital in Florida?
Grace Calero, 39, an Ecuadorean immigrant, and her 19-year-old daughter Giulianna Carriel were arrested by ICE agents in a hospital ward in Kissimmee, central Florida, while being treated after a car crash, and were deported to Ecuador within days.
What is the Cuban Adjustment Act?
It is US legislation from the 1960s that has traditionally given Cubans a favoured immigration status. Immigration lawyer Ismael Labrador said that without a Green Card, immigrants in the US may be a target for arrest.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
