Despite historically favored status under the 1960s Cuban Adjustment Act, Cuban nationals are increasingly being caught in aggressive roundups executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The dragnet has sparked apprehension among the 68% of Florida Cuban Americans who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election. In response to community outrage, incumbent Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar has actively distanced herself from the administration's aggressive deportation tactics while competing in a tight race. Nevertheless, many local business leaders and residents continue to strongly defend the federal measures to remove undocumented immigrants.
Key points
Expanded federal deportations of non-criminal Cubans are weakening former political alleg…: Expanded federal deportations of non-criminal Cubans are weakening former political allegiances across South Florida's conservative enclaves.
Vulnerable Republican lawmakers face mounting pressure to break with the White House to a…: Vulnerable Republican lawmakers face mounting pressure to break with the White House to appease frustrated constituents.
Support for Donald Trump remains deeply entrenched among many Florida business figures wh…: Support for Donald Trump remains deeply entrenched among many Florida business figures who still favor strict immigration measures.
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- Published
Since the Trump administration launched its crackdown on undocumented immigrants two years ago, the waiting room of Cuban-born immigration lawyer, Ismael Labrador, in Miami is never empty. His appointment book is packed with relatives of detained immigrants trying to secure their release before they're deported back to their countries of origin.
Although business is booming, Labrador wishes it wasn't.
"We have relatives living in fear right now, we've had relatives who have been deported back to Cuba, unfortunately," he explains.
Cubans have traditionally enjoyed favoured immigration status in the United States under provisions enshrined in 1960s-era legislation called the Cuban Adjustment Act. But widespread arrests across Florida by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have left the Cuban American community more vulnerable in the US than they'd ever imagined, says Labrador.
"The way I put it is that if you don't have a Green Card in the United States, you may be a target."
Countless mobile phone videos have recorded such arrests in places previously considered off-limits: parents detained outside schoolyards, at bus stops, youth sporting events and…
The military demonstrations coincide with intensified cross-border friction following a landmine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers, an event Pyongyang refused to apologize for. In response to recent ballistic tests, Seoul and Washington have enhanced regional surveillance amid concerns over potential violations of international resolutions. The maneuvers reflect Kim Jong Un's push to modernize his arsenal with autonomous technology tailored for contemporary warfare.
Facing a deadlocked election where his bloc secured only 53 seats, the incumbent prime minister is alleging widespread voter fraud to prevent his rivals from forming a government. This unsubstantiated push aims to block rival leader Gadi Eisenkot from securing crucial outside support from newly empowered Arab factions. The strategy seeks to invalidate unprecedented minority turnout rather than accept a path to power for the opposition.
After falling short of a parliamentary majority in national elections, the incumbent prime minister is targeting record turnout among Arab voters with unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud. Critics argue these allegations aim to block opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot from forming a viable coalition with outside minority support. The rhetoric threatens to deepen internal divisions while the state navigates a deadlocked legislature.