Trump Admin Says “No Thanks” to Cuba Talks

Diya Ravi

April 25, 2025

On January 20th, 2025, President Trump took office, and since then, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been deporting non-U.S. citizens, though charter and commercial flights. The Cuban Government has stated that it will continue accepting deportations under a previous accord made between the two countries called the Joint Statement, or Mission Accords,  which is an agreement to facilitate regular migration to benefit both countries. This statement also remarks that the competent authorities of the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba shall meet regularly to ensure cooperation under the Migration Accords. However, the Trump Administration has indicated that it has no plans to hold migration talks with the Cuban Government.

The Trump Administration has continued to crack down on immigrants and carry out what he calls the largest mass deportation operation in the history of the U.S. With no formal talks between Cuba and the U.S., it is unclear how large-scale deportations of Cubans could happen. Currently, the deportations usually have fewer than 100 people, which is far below the mass deportations President Trump has vowed to carry out. A spokesperson from the State Department told NBC News that the U.S. would no longer engage with Cuba “for the sole sake of engagement and endless dialogue” and that they had no new plans to announce. Cuba says they are still committed to the accords between the two countries and will continue to accept deportees on a case-by-case basis. 

Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossio said Cuba is open to talks with the U.S. if willing. He stressed that the agreements have helped both sides despite “persistent unilateral hostility of the United States”. Migration between these two countries has taken place since the 1990s, though they were suspended under the Bush administration and the Trump administration. During the Biden administration, the countries resumed migration talks amidst a notable wave of Cuban migrants entering the US. 

In recent years, Cubans were among the largest group of migrants arriving in the US, with over 600,000 encounters reported by US Customs and Border Protection between 2022 and 2024. That number has recently dropped. Cuba has long argued that harsh US sanctions have hurt its economy and encouraged people to emigrate. De Cossio says that many Cubans living in the US have built lives there, and mass deportations would be unfair given the role the US played in encouraging migration in the first place. Despite the current tensions, Cuba says it is willing to develop respectful and constructive relations with the US. De Cossio said that while Cuba is willing it, the US doesn’t seem to have the same willingness as of now. 

For now, the communications remain limited, and the path forward for Cuban deportations remains uncertain.