MIAMI, United States. – Hundreds of potential migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador face obstacles to boarding flights to the United States, despite having met the family reunification requirements, according to a report published this Thursday by Martí News.
The new government of Donald Trump has reversed several of the immigration programs established under the Joe Biden Administration, generating concern among those who already had their processes approved.
Martí News referred to the case of Cuban Olga Lidia Hernández, who was denied boarding the plane to travel to the United States, despite having the travel permits required by the Cuban Family Reunification Program (CFRP, for its acronym in English). ). “When we went to board the plane they told us to go to the United States Embassy and that they would give us more information there, but they did not let us travel,” denounced the Cuban. “They told me that they had denied me permission to fly and gave me no further explanation.”
Olga’s mother, Bárbara León, was dismayed by the situation: “I have been waiting for this moment for eight years. I traveled to Cuba and they turned us away from the airport. They treated us very badly. We did our immigration processes well. It’s not fair”.
Similar stories are repeated in different countries in the region and show a pattern of cancellations of flights authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to sources consulted by Martí News.
Under the Biden administration, the CFRP and other similar programs were modernized to speed up reunification procedures. The Department of Homeland Security points out that, once the I-130 petition was approved and the declaration of financial support (I-134A) was verified, the immigrant received travel authorization to appear at a port of entry in the United States. However, Trump repealed most of these provisions and closed access to the CBP One app.
In the case of Cuba, the CFRP remained inactive for years following “mysterious health incidents” that affected US diplomats. When the program was reactivated, many finally saw the opportunity to reunite with their families in North American territory.
This week too transcended that the Trump Administration had given the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency broader powers to quickly deport migrants who entered the United States legally under Biden-era programs.
According to an internal memo obtained by The New York TimesICE authorities will be able to expel migrants who were part of two key initiatives of the Joe Biden Administration: the CBP One application – which allowed appointments to be scheduled to enter the country – and the program parole humanitarianwhich authorized the temporary entry of migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti.
Both measures sought to provide legal avenues to discourage irregular border crossings. In total, about 1.4 million people had entered the United States through these programs since the beginning of 2023.
According to the report, Trump’s intention is to “use every facet of the immigration control apparatus” to toughen policies, not only against those who cross the border without authorization, but also against those who entered following current procedures.
