EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, 18 September 2023 — A hundred Cuban migrants demonstrated this Sunday in Miami (Florida) to ask for legal status to stay and work in the United States after a court ruling that limits the ways to obtain permanent residence.
The protesters gathered in the central Versailles restaurant to ask the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, to consider the I-220A country entry form as a valid way to obtain permanent residence (known as the “green card”).
This form, also known as the “order of freedom under parole,” is given to certain people who were detained by immigration officials when they entered the country irregularly and were then released.
We are asking with humility, not demanding, asking the United States Government to legalize us, to allow us to work
“We are asking with humility, not demanding, asking the United States Government to legalize us, to allow us to work,” said one member of the protest, in which they showed posters requesting “freedom for political prisoners in Cuba.”
On September 12, the Superior Board of Immigration Appeals of the United States Department of Justice ruled against the I-220A being considered as a humanitarian permit to stay in the country.
It is a decision based on an appeal by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a specific case, that of Olty Cabrera Fernández, processed with an I-220A upon entering the country.
The decision of the appeals court agreed with the U.S. Government, which considers that the only option to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act, established in 1966, is a humanitarian permit, which is currently obtained with a legal sponsor within the United States.
The court ruling could affect tens of thousands of Cubans who arrived in the United States through the different border points since 2021, who were given the I-220A document after being released by the immigration authorities.
Immigration lawyer Willy Allen said that he does not believe that people who have the I-220A are in any danger of being detained or deported immediately
However, in statements to local media, immigration lawyer Willy Allen said that he does not believe that people who have the I-220A are in any danger of being detained or deported immediately.
Allen considered that this is a particular case that can be appealed.
For her part, Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, of the Republican Party, asked the Secretary of National Security to recognize the I-220A as a humanitarian permit.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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