The US sent Yamile Alcantu, a Cuban who lived there for about 25 years, to Mexico, not Cuba. She came long before 2017. US officials have said Cuba has historically refused to accept many Cuban nationals ordered deported. Mexico takes many under what US lawyers call an unwritten deal.
Human Rights Watch says Cubans like her long-stayed in the US, largely because Cuba often refused to take them back. US deportation policy shifted under Trump's second term: between 20 January 2025 and 9 March 2026, the US sent 4,353 Cubans to Mexico. In April 2026, lawyer Willy Allen said more than 42,000 Cubans had final removal orders.
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