Over 500K Cubans in US may be deported as Trump targets protections

• More than 500,000 Cubans in the United States reportedly face potential deportation as the Trump administration seeks to end special privileges for Cuban migrants. The move comes as President Donald Trump continues his mass deportation efforts.
• The administration’s efforts are threatening protections offered by the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
• The law was meant to protect Cuban migrants fleeing the island nation over fears of political persecution and other factors.

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For nearly 60 years, Cuban migrants received special privileges to immigrate to the United States as they fled political persecution. Now, those privileges are in jeopardy, with the Trump administration targeting them as its mass deportation efforts continue, according to a Bloomberg report on Monday, April 14.

What act is being targeted?

Since 1966, Cubans were allowed in the United States for permanent residency far quicker than most other nationalities, free from quotas and other requirements such as proving family or work-related reasons to immigrate under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Many Republicans are urging President Donald Trump to keep protections for Cubans, cautioning against sending them back to the island where they may face deadly consequences, while blaming the Biden administration for the immigration problem.

Cubans are a key voting bloc for Republicans, fueling President Trump to victory in Florida three times, and helping propel him to the White House in 2016 and 2024.

Who could be deported?

Immigration groups warn that President Trump’s end to immigration protections potentially puts hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants in the United States at risk of deportation.

Many Cubans who came under older programs remain safe, but more than 110,000 who came under a temporary humanitarian program and hundreds of thousands who came under “release and recognize” may be expelled from the United States. Advocacy groups report that more than 500,000 Cubans face deportation.

Have past administrations made changes?

While the Cuban Adjustment Act remains intact, its protections have changed over the years. For instance, the “Wet foot, dry foot” policy of 1996 awarded any Cuban who reached American soil with protected status. However, President Barack Obama abolished the policy in the final days of his presidency in 2017, allowing only authorized Cubans into the United States.