Cuban American Lawmakers Facing Backlash, the Dignity Act Won’t Help
The act provides relief to some immigrants, lacks a path to citizenship, solidifies protections for Cubans, and ignores much-needed reforms
Several Cuban American lawmakers in Congress have been facing fierce backlash from their constituents for continuing to back President Donald Trump despite his targeting of noncitizens, regardless of their status. In Miami, Cubans have had their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) revoked, and despite being “legal” immigrants who benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), Cubans have been targeted in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, held in some of the worst detention centers in the country, and summarily deported.
Subscribe for only $35/year
In March, after Trump ended TPS for Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who is from Miami, took to Twitter to dismiss the concerns of her community by saying Trump is “cleaning up Biden’s political mess.” She conveniently ignored that the process and privilege for Cubans has not changed in decades, and the people she’s talking about are, in fact, “legal” immigrants, even under Trump. The duplicity of trying to protect certain immigrants in her response to the backlash was highlighted across social media.
“Trump is cleaning up Biden’s political mess, and the legal limbo the Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans are facing is entirely Biden’s fault,” said Salazar. “He fooled them. They came here fleeing failed, communist countries believing in Biden’s empty promises. The Trump administration should take this under consideration and not punish them for Biden’s mistakes. Let’s give them the opportunity to apply for the protections they were promised,” she continued.
More recently, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), also from Miami, took to the U.S.-funded anti-Cuban propaganda network, Martí Noticias, to blame the Biden administration. Balart said the increase in deportations of Cubans is related to the “false promise” made by the former president. He never clarified what the alleged promises were, but he referred to programs “promoted” by Biden as “artificial legalizations.” Like his colleague, Salazar, he also disregarded that the process for Cubans has been largely unchanged for decades.
Later in the interview, after telling his constituents they should expect increases in deportations of Cubans, Balart shifted focus to his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal that would allocate $35 million for “democracy” programs in Cuba, an additional $40 million for Martí Noticias (the same outlet he was interviewing with), and provisions to deny funding to organizations that collaborate with Cuban intelligence or “exploit” doctors sent abroad by the Cuban government.
"This is the strongest legislation in decades against Castroism,” said Balart. “It includes sanctions against those who profit from the forced labor of Cuban doctors, denies visas to repressors, and requires our European allies to pressure the regime."
Balart and his colleagues continue to ignore the concerns of voters in their districts to appease the president. Salazar, however, introduced the Dignity Act to try to assuage Cubans, and it’s not working because Cubans are aware their protections can only be changed through an act of Congress. Meanwhile, the bill lacks comprehensive reforms that would benefit every migrant community equally, and because the Cuban community benefits from legislation specifically for them, Cubans will be largely unaffected by the Dignity Act.
Not only do Cuban immigrants benefit from the CAA, but they also disproportionately benefit from Form I-220A, also known as an “Order of Release on Recognizance.” The form is for migrants detained at the border and then released into the United States. It establishes that the migrant was released, is required to attend immigration court hearings, and check in with authorities. The I-220A signifies that the individual is in "removal proceedings," but they are not in detention. It is not a visa, nor does it grant permanent residency or work permits.
ICE has been targeting migrants on I-220A after their court hearings.
The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) allows Cubans who have been paroled into the U.S. and have resided in the country for at least one year to apply for permanent residency (a green card). It provides a unique pathway for Cubans to adjust their immigration status and gain legal residency in the U.S. This is not offered to any other immigrants coming to the U.S. The law was passed in 1966 to address Cuban refugees fleeing the island for the United States.
Despite these seemingly unfair advantages, Cubans are also granted work authorization while they wait to receive their green cards; are exempt from the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA); and are considered meritorious asylees as soon as they arrive, thus allowing Cubans to apply for government assistance while awaiting the legalization process. The Dignity Act simply aims to further solidify these special privileges not afforded to other immigrant groups.
