US Sends Over 13,000 Immigrants, Mostly Cubans, to Mexico

Thousands of Cuban nationals and other immigrants who had lived for decades in the United States have been deported to Mexico under an undisclosed agreement between the two governments, leaving many stranded without shelter, medical care, or a clear legal status, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch. The findings, released Wednesday, detail the experiences of individuals sent to southern Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026.

The report states that U.S. authorities deported more than 18,000 third-country nationals during that period, with nearly 13,000 sent to Mexico. Cubans constituted the largest single group, with 4,353 individuals deported. Many of those interviewed were long-term U.S. residents, with more than half having arrived during the 1980s or 1990s. Most had held legal permanent residency, commonly known as a green card, but lost it due to criminal convictions or charges.

According to the report, over half of the deported Cubans had a prior criminal record, but only 16 percent of those convictions were for violent or potentially violent offenses. One-fourth had no criminal history at all. Researchers, who conducted more than 50 interviews in the...