TAPACHULA — Human Rights Watch published a report on May 27, 2026, detailing that thousands of deported Cuban migrants are stranded in Mexico in a 'legal limbo' and face difficulties accessing healthcare or regularizing their status. The report found that 4,353 Cuban nationals were among the 12,977 migrants the U.S. deported to Mexico from January 2025 to March 2026, making them the largest nationality group deported during that period.

The report is based on U.S. deportation data obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and interviews with 41 deported Cuban migrants. Many had lived in the U.S. for decades and were detained while attending ICE check-ins, commuting to work, or after completing criminal sentences. Thirty-five of those interviewed reported losing their green cards due to criminal convictions, mostly for minor offenses such as driving under the influence, document fraud, or minor drug-related charges.

Human Rights Watch stated that the U.S. government prevented deported Cuban migrants from exercising their right to challenge deportation orders to third countries. The organization also described U.S. immigration detention centers as having 'inhuman conditions.' Fermín, a 52-year-old Cuban migrant, reported being detained at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida, where he described contaminated water, raw food, and widespread illness.

Alejo, a 50-year-old Cuban migrant, said he was held in solitary confinement for 15 days in a detention center in El Paso, Texas, in a punishment cell without sunlight. Deported Cubans arrive primarily in southern Mexican border cities, including Tapachula, Chiapas, and Villahermosa, Tabasco. In Mexico, they face obstacles in regularizing their status due to a lack of documents and personal belongings.

Emiliano, a 47-year-old Cuban migrant, said he feels trapped in Villahermosa due to fear of violence from criminal groups operating in the area. Some deported Cubans suffer from chronic illnesses and struggle to access medical care because they lack a Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP), which hospitals often require. Human Rights Watch concluded that by failing to provide effective access to asylum or alternative pathways to permanent residence while continuing to accept deportations, Mexico is effectively condemning third-country nationals to indefinite legal limbo.