ICE Detains 18 People Showing Up for Scheduled Immigration Appointments

Cubans attending immigration appointments in Florida are reportedly being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

At least 18 individuals have been taken into custody, the Miami Herald reported, despite previously being given somewhat special protections from removal proceedings.

“The administration is taking a take-no-prisoners approach to immigration enforcement where every person who could conceivably be deported is a priority,” Mark Prada, an immigration attorney in Miami, told Newsweek Friday. “Whether you are undocumented, have a process pending for legal status, or pending an immigration court hearing, DHS has always had the authority to arrest and detain if one does not have a valid, unexpired legal status.”

Newsweek reached out to ICE via email for comment on Friday afternoon.

The Context

The shift is coming as a shock to a community that showed widespread support for President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a message of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, in particular those with known criminal histories.

Since his return to the White House, ICE has increased its efforts to detain and deport those without legal status, but multiple reports in recent weeks have pointed to the target widening to those who may have assumed they were safe.

What To Know

South Florida is home to hundreds of thousands of Cubans, many of whom fled their home country and claimed immunity from immigration enforcement by having already arrived on United States soil. The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 meant a swifter pathway to a green card than afforded to other nationalities.

However, some Cubans will have been placed in removal proceedings by ICE and released while their case is pending on an I-220A form. This doesn’t offer any immigration status and means they must take a longer path to permanent residency, such as claiming asylum.

According to the Miami Herald, it is those in this second group who are being detained by ICE while attending regular check-ins. This marks a shift in policy, where those without criminal records were previously not taken into custody.

ICE has not publicly declared that it has changed its policy, but Trump did sign an executive order on his return to office stating that the U.S. would “execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.”

Trump has reportedly been unhappy with the number of deportations since his inauguration, having promised millions would be removed. ICE told Newsweek that 28,319 people were deported between January 20 and March 11, which is likely a slower pace than the previous administration.

It is not clear what would be next for Cubans detained and awaiting removal when their home country does not routinely accept repatriation flights. The Trump administration has brokered deals with other nations to take those from a third country.

Representative Maria Elvira, a Florida Republican, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she was aware of the situation and had asked the Department of Homeland Security not to detain individuals with I-220As.

What People Are Saying

Miami-based immigration attorney Mark Prada, in a statement to Newsweek: “Having an application pending is not a status. Where all prior administrations employed a common sense approach, declining to exercise arrest and detention authority when it would be pointless such as when an approvable application for status is pending, it is clear that everyone is on the table for arrest these days — even if ultimately pointless.

“It also appears that the easiest fish to catch, especially if the person does not appear to have the strength to withstand lengthy detention, are the ones being arrested first, such as the 18 Cuban women recently arrested in Miramar during their regular reporting.”

Johan Ariel, a Cuban national whose friend was detained by ICE, told the Miami Herald: “I am completely left in the dark right now. I am so worried and have no resources to help her.”

Representative Maria Elvira, on X: “You can be sure that I will not give up this fight and that I am shouting for them to grant you ‘Parole in Place’. The Biden Administration did not do it, but I am sure that with the Trump Administration, we will find a solution.”

What Happens Next

Immigration attorneys in Florida said they are encouraging Cubans to continue attending appointments and adhering to the conditions laid out in form I-220A.