CONGRESSWOMAN SALAZAR URGES DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS TO SAVE CUBAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS FROM DEPORTATION FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATION BLUNDER
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to reconsider the order of deportation for the 46 Cuban asylum-seekers whose personal information was leaked by the Biden Administration.
“The publication of the personal information of more than 6,252 at-risk, vulnerable, asylum-seeking individuals could have a disastrous effect on their lives,” wrote Rep. Salazar. “As a result of this leak, the safety of these 46 Cuban asylum-seekers simply cannot be assured.”
The letter condemns the Department of Homeland Security for mistakenly publishing the personal information of the more than 6,000 asylum-seeking individuals who were destined for deportation and demands that the cases of the 46 Cuban asylum-seekers included amongst them be reassessed in wake of the Administration’s error.
The letter also warns Secretary Mayorkas against maintaining open diplomatic channels with the totalitarian regime occupying Cuba and their willingness to use anything the United States says against its opposition.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
BACKGROUND:
On November 28th, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accidentally posted the names, birth dates, nationalities, and detention locations of 6,252 asylum-seekers who claimed to be fleeing torture and persecution on their website.
Subsequently, a DHS official indicated to the Cuban government that some of the 103 Cubans who could have been placed on a deportation flight also could have been impacted by the data leak, compromising their safety. 46 of the 103 Cubans whose status was discussed with the Cuban government were actually affected by the leak.
The communist regime in Cuba is known for detaining and torturing political dissidents, and the data leak from DHS allows Cuban officials to easily identify those individuals who tried to escape.
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