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Former Cuban judge detained by ICE outside Florida home, denies Communist Party ties

Aug 18, 2026 · Cooper City, FL, Cuba

Former Cuban judge detained by ICE outside Florida home, denies Communist Party ties

Katrina Castro-Menéndez, 41, a former municipal judge from Matanzas, Cuba, was detained by ICE agents outside her home in Cooper City, Florida, after her husband left for work and while her 15-year-old daughter slept inside. She was taken to ICE offices in Miramar and then to the Broward Transition Center, where she remains held pending removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security alleges she committed immigration fraud by concealing Communist Party membership on her asylum and residency applications, reasoning that her past judicial role implies such affiliation, but Katrina says a lawyer who charged her $3,000 never properly interviewed her and that mandatory Cuban civic groups she belonged to are distinct from party membership. She appeared before an immigration judge in Miami on August 5 without legal representation and testified she had never joined the Communist Party. Her husband, Deyni Rojas González, whose humanitarian parole documentation has expired, cannot visit her in person or maintain video calls, and she says she has rehearsed how to tell her daughter they may be deported to Cuba.

Timeline

Aug 18, 2026Remains in custody as family reports being unable to visit or maintain video calls due to husband's expired parole
Aug 5, 2026Appeared before an immigration judge in Miami without legal representation and denied Communist Party membership
Jun 12, 2026Detained by ICE agents outside her home in Cooper City, Florida, and taken to the Broward Transition Center

Sources

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