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Cubans are being deported from the U.S. in record numbers under President Trump. That is despite special protections that have been in place for them since the Cold War. And there are growing signs that Cubans still in the country are getting frustrated about it. NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports from Miami.
(SOUNDBITE OF TILES CLACKING)
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: It's midday on a recent Thursday, and Miami's Domino Park in Little Havana is bumping with the sounds of tiles clacking.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: RJ (ph), hey.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Many of the players here are retirees who, like Roberto (ph), came from Cuba in the 1980s as refugees fleeing the Cuban communist government.
ROBERTO: (Non-English language spoken).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "We Cubans used to have a lot of privileges," Roberto says, adding, "the U.S government has now taken many of those away." And with an increase of ICE agents in Miami, he says it's more dangerous for Cuban immigrants, and that's why he asked us to only use his first name.
Up until recently, Cubans had been mostly shielded from shifting immigration policies under different presidents. A big reason for that is the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, which gives a pathway to citizenship for Cubans fleeing communism. That law is still on the books, but many Cubans who arrived under the Biden administration received a different immigration document from the one Cubans have traditionally used to adjust their status. The Trump administration says that difference now disqualifies them from protection under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Here's Roberto again.
ROBERTO: (Non-English language spoken).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "It really saddens me to see hardworking people doing things the right way and still being deported," he says. But his domino buddy, Joaquin Mesa (ph), sporting a GOP baseball cap, supports Trump's immigration crackdown and says some Cubans have become collateral damage in a necessary enforcement.
JOAQUIN MESA: (Non-English language spoken).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "Some immigrants have come to the U.S. to scam and commit crimes," he says. So he adds, "everyone, including new Cuban arrivals, are paying for it."
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yusleidys Alvarez (ph) is standing outside the chaotic Miami Immigration Court, where the line stretches a few city blocks. Judges here are conducting mass hearings, part of Trump's strategy to expedite deportations.
YUSLEIDYS ALVAREZ: (Non-English language spoken, crying).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Alvarez says seeing so many immigrants in line, including her older brother, makes her sad. She's now a permanent resident, but her brother came during the Biden administration, and now he's waiting for his first court hearing.
ALVAREZ: (Non-English language spoken).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "He always wanted to come to the U.S.," she says. Alvarez worries her brother could soon be deported to Cuba or even worse - a third country like Mexico, where the Trump administration has reportedly sent at least 6,000 Cubans. Many Cuban Americans in Miami were taken aback by this.
MICHAEL BUSTAMANTE: I think there was a sense that, like, he's not talking about us.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: That's Michael Bustamante. He teaches Cuban American history at the University of Miami. The city has always been the epicenter of Cuban American life. And for many people who came to the U.S. in the 1960s and later, that life started here at the Freedom Tower. The 1920's Spanish revival-style landmark is now surrounded by shiny high-rises. Standing outside, Bustamante says this building represents what Republican politics used to be.
BUSTAMANTE: Some affectionately call it Miami's Ellis Island. You know, a symbol of immigrant welcome, at least for the Cuban community.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Now a museum for many years, it was the headquarters of the Cuban Refugee Emergency Center, a program created by the Eisenhower administration, which helped some half a million Cubans.
BUSTAMANTE: That is almost the same number of Cubans today who are in limbo in terms of their immigration status or are at risk of being removed and deported. And increasing numbers, in fact, are being deported.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Deported by President Trump, whose presidential library is planned to be built next door to the Freedom Tower. But now, in the city where Latinas for Trump was started, there are signs of shifting loyalties. The group's cofounder, Republican State Senator Ileana Garcia, has denounced Trump's deportation policies. And Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, a staunch Trump supporter, recently released an ad ahead of the midterm elections in which she breaks with President Trump on this issue.
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MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR: It's the same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Her race has tightened, and she's not the only Republican to feel the pressure from voters on immigration as the midterms approach. Still, the Trump administration says it won't slow down its deportation efforts.
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR News, Miami. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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