❓WHAT HAPPENED: Cuba’s communist regime accepted a deportation flight containing at least six Cuban nationals convicted of serious crimes, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cuba’s communist regime, ICE, and Cuban nationals convicted of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The first Cuba-bound deportation flight of 2026 occurred on February 9, with deportees arriving in Cuba.
🎯IMPACT: The deportation flight signals a potential shift in immigration cooperation between the United States and Cuba.
Cuba’s communist government has accepted a United States-originating deportation flight with at least six Cuban nationals who had previously been convicted of violent crimes, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Wednesday, the Trump administration revealed that the first Cuban-bound deportation flight had taken place on February 9, with 170 Cuban nationals being repatriated to the communist Caribbean island. The six violent offenders noted by ICE were among those deported.
For decades, the Castro regime in Cuba rejected U.S. attempts to deport Cubans to the island, though with the communist government transitioning away from the Castro family, this policy appears to be changing. The move is most likely an attempt by the communist government to curry favor with the Trump administration, which has effectively reinstituted a blockade of the island. Cuba is believed to currently be without key resources, including oil and water, for around nine days.
Also of concern to the Trump administration is the possibility of litigation. Because of the ongoing oil shortage and the U.S. pushing Venezuela and Mexico to cut off petroleum to the island, the situation in Cuba has deteriorated, which could be used by federal judges to block deportations.
Among those deported was Yondeivis Wong Den-Hernandez, convicted of second-degree murder in Florida and aiding improper entry by an alien in Texas. Another deportee, Raul Duquenzne-Batista, a Los Habaneros gang member, was convicted of multiple violent crimes, including aggravated assault, rape, and kidnapping in Kansas, and had previously served 20 years in a Cuban prison for robbery. ICE also identified Alexander Padron-Marten, convicted of controlled substance trafficking, and Orlando Sanchez-Sarria, who faced convictions for grand theft, drug trafficking, and firearm-related offenses.
Other deportees included Miguel Ramon Caveda-Perez, convicted of rape and possessing an altered driver’s license, and Gaully Quintana Martinez, convicted of aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon.
The Cuban state media acknowledged the arrival of the February 9 flight but omitted details about the criminal convictions of the deportees. Instead, it reported that 170 individuals were deported, including 153 men and 17 women, with three being investigated for alleged crimes committed prior to leaving Cuba. Approximately 42,000 Cubans with final deportation orders remain in the United States due to Cuba’s historical refusal to accept them.
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