Luis Raúl González-Pardo faces charges that could cost him up to 15 years in federal prison
14ymedio (via EFE), Miami, November 13, 2025 — Authorities in Florida accused Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo of immigration fraud for lying about his past in the Cuban Air Force after arriving in the US under Humanitarian Parole in 2024, despite being implicated in the deaths of four Americans.
The Attorney General’s Office in the South Florida District announced that González-Pardo, 64, faces charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, and of giving false statements to a federal agency, which could get him up to 15 years in federal prison.
“This man’s past as a longstanding military pilot for the evil Castro regime, which has brought unspeakable suffering to the Cuban people, should have been front and center in his immigration file,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
“This man’s past as a longstanding military pilot for the evil Castro regime, which has brought unspeakable suffering to the Cuban people, should have been front and center in his immigration file”
The pilot, who arrived in April 2024 under the humanitarian parole program of former President Joe Biden (2021-2025), submitted “false declarations” about his membership in the Cuban Air Force from 1980-2009 on his I-485 form, in order to adjust his immigration status, according to the Department of Justice.
The complaint alleges that “he falsely stated that he had never received any military or weapons training, never participated in a group of any kind that used weapons or threatened to use weapons, and never served in a military or police unit, when in fact he received such training and served in the Cuban Army.”
Authorities accompanied the indictment with a photo of the suspect while working in the Cuban Air Force.
La polémica estalló en octubre de 2024, cuando legisladores republicanos de Florida, como el entonces senador Marco Rubio, ahora secretario de Estado, enviaron una carta a la Administración de Biden para denunciar que la llegada de González-Pardo implicaba admitir a “individuos ligados al régimen ilegítimo de Cuba”.
The controversy erupted in October 2024, when Florida Senator Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, sent a letter to the Biden Administration denouncing that the arrival of González-Pardo “implied admitting individuals linked to the illegitimate regime of Cuba.”
Authorities accompanied the indictment with a photo of the suspect while working in the Cuban Air Force
Lawmakers reported that the pilot is “notoriously linked” to a 1996 incident in which Cuban MiG-29 jets shot down two planes of the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue, resulting in the death of four “innocent Cuban-American pilots.”
The current US president, Donald Trump, revoked the Humanitarian Parole program, a temporary legal protection that the Biden government granted to some 532,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians.
“This Department of Justice will vigorously pursue anyone who lies about their past and takes advantage of the US immigration system,” Bondi warned.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.