Cuban man detained in Florida, deported to Central African Republic, held in Bangui
Oct 6, 2026·Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Country of origin: Cuba

Yasmani Noel Moreno de Armas, a 31-year-old Cuban who arrived in Florida by raft in 2016 under the 'Wet Foot, Dry Foot' policy and ran a small trucking business between Miami and Tampa to help support his parents near Orlando, was detained by ICE in West Palm Beach on May 11, 2025, after his green card bid under the Cuban Adjustment Act was denied. He was held for about a year before being deported in late July/August 2026 not to Cuba but to the Central African Republic on a roughly 21-22 hour shackled flight, learning his destination only hours into the trip. Moreno, who manages diabetes and asthma, said the flight left him ill and triggered an anxiety attack. He is now confined at the Maison Confort lodging in Bangui alongside migrants from Afghanistan, Vietnam and Russia, without a passport, visa or legal status, suffering stomach problems and allergies, and says he was kidnapped twice by armed men he believed were security forces, with family and a fellow detainee paying about $100 for his release. A Cuban embassy representative told him Cuba would not take him back because he left as a 'rafter' migrant, and he fears returning there given a past imprisonment for trying to flee. 'They brought us here illegally,' he said, adding his parents 'went crazy, crying and yelling' when he told them where he was; his attorney is negotiating with federal officials for his return.
Timeline
Sources
- Men from Cuba and other countries describe being deported by the U.S. to a dangerous African nation:
- ‘This is Africa, deal with it’: the lives of the migrants deported from the US to the Central African Republic
english.elpais.com·Aug 16, 2026·archived copy
- Held in hotels or detained for a year after being deported to Africa: ‘This is called human trafficking’
english.elpais.com·Sep 19, 2026·archived copy
- Men recount their harrowing deportation from the U.S. to a perilous African country: "We have no way out" - News Dive
newsdive.net·Aug 22, 2026·archived copy
- Deported from Honduras and Cuba to Africa, migrants ask to return to U.S. and denounce uncertainty
- Men describe being deported by U.S. to dangerous African nation: “We cannot leave”
us-inquirer.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- Men describe being deported by U.S. to dangerous African nation: "We cannot leave"
Yahoo News·Aug 22, 2026·archived copy
- ICE agent laughed as he told Cuban migrant he was being deported to AFRICA
dailymail.com·Sep 2, 2026
- A Month After ICE Deported Him to Central Africa, a Cuban Deportee Still Has No Passport
latintimes.com·Sep 2, 2026
- Men From Cuba and Other Countries Describe Being Deported by the US to a Dangerous African Nation: “We Cannot Leave”
- U.S. Expands Third-Country Deportation Campaign With Flights to African Nations
frnt.com·Aug 19, 2026
- 'I feel kidnapped': Latino immigrants say they're in legal limbo after being deported to country in Africa
- Cuban immigrant Yasmany Moreno de Armas stranded in Central African Republic after Trump-era deportation • Fact In Face • Your right to know. Our job to expose.
factinface.net·Aug 22, 2026
- US Sends Cuban and Eritrean Deportees to Central African Republic
primestarnews.com·Aug 22, 2026
- Cuban Deported by U.S. Finds Himself Stranded in Central African Republic: "I Have No Criminal Record"
cubaheadlines.com·Aug 23, 2026
- "I
en.cibercuba.com·Sep 30, 2026
- Men from Cuba and other countries describe being deported by the U.S. to a dangerous African nation: "We cannot leave" - 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝕺𝖚𝖙𝖑𝖔𝖔𝗸
nationoutlook.com·Aug 22, 2026
- Cuban deported to Central African Republic fights to return to US
foxsanantonio.com·Oct 6, 2026
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