ICE Arrests of Cubans Skyrocket—as Republicans Risk Losing Florida

The Trump administration has detained a staggering number of Cuban immigrants while denying them permanent residency, which could have consequences for Republicans in November.

The Miami Herald, citing an analysis from the libertarian Cato Institute, reports that ICE arrests of Cuban nationals have gone up by 463 percent since December 2024, while green card approvals have dropped by 99.8 percent, nearly ending the program for Cubans in the U.S.

Before President Trump’s second term, Cubans in the U.S. could easily qualify for permanent residence and green cards under the Cuban Adjustment Act. The 1960s law allowed Cubans to apply for permanent residency just 366 days after entering the U.S. But in December, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services paused all immigration and citizenship applications, including green cards, from 18 countries including Cuba, putting more immigrants, especially Cubans, at greater risk for detention and deportation.

As of 2021, there are 1.3 million Americans of Cuban origin in the U.S., and 64 percent of them live in Florida. Immigration arrests have skyrocketed in the state but have drawn less attention than more publicized federal action in places like Minnesota thanks to agreements with local police.

Republicans count on Cuban American votes in Florida, especially in the Miami-Dade area, and about 70 percent of Florida’s Cuban American population voted for Trump in the 2024 election. But the end of immigration privileges and the sharp increase in deportations for the community is beginning to sour the community on Trump.

“The same Cubans who have been here for years don’t realize that Trump acts the same way as Fidel did,” manicurist Daimarys Hernández, referring to Cuba’s former dictator Fidel Castro, told Spanish news outlet El País in October. Her husband was awaiting deportation from the Krome Detention Center in Florida at the time.