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Cuban man held over a year by ICE, misses newborn granddaughter's birth, fights deportation

Sep 27, 2026·Location: West Palm Beach, FL

Country of origin: Cuba

Cuban man held over a year by ICE, misses newborn granddaughter's birth, fights deportation
Photo via elpasomatters.org

Antonio Frometa Ascón, a 63-year-old Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1994 after being paroled through Guantánamo, has been in ICE custody since Aug. 14, 2025, when Florida Highway Patrol stopped him on his way to work under the state's Operation Tidal Wave crackdown. He was first held at the South Florida Detention Facility, where he alleges a guard's blow left him partially deaf, then transferred to Camp East Montana in El Paso, where he witnessed a detainee's death, and later moved to the ICE El Paso Service Processing Center. Cuba has refused to accept his deportation, and he has refused removal to Mexico as a third country, citing fears of cartel violence and extortion. His first granddaughter was born while he has been detained, and he says he has not been able to meet or hold her. He has filed pro se and attorney-assisted habeas corpus petitions arguing his prolonged detention violates the Supreme Court's Zadvydas v. Davis limits on indefinite confinement, and a federal judge has yet to rule as his health and mental state decline and his family says he has grown depressed awaiting word from his lawyer.

Timeline

Sep 27, 2026—Reported that Cuba has refused deportation and he has refused removal to Mexico over fears of cartel violence, while his first granddaughter was born during his detention
Sep 17, 2026—Reported to be held at Camp East Montana and later the ICE El Paso Service Processing Center, having witnessed a detainee death; filed habeas petitions arguing violation of Zadvydas v. Davis limits as his health declines
Aug 14, 2025—Stopped and detained by Florida Highway Patrol under Operation Tidal Wave; later held at South Florida Detention Facility where he alleges a guard's blow left him partially deaf
1994—Came to the United States after being paroled through Guantánamo
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