CUBA · US IMMIGRATION
Key Facts
- The country Cuba is a one-party communist state 90 miles (145 km) from Key West, with a large exile community in Florida.
- What happened On 21 October 2026 Miami federal prosecutors announced a US$668,390.95 judgment against a Honduran woman who ignored a removal order.
- The rule US law lets the government fine a person up to US$998 a day for failing to leave after a final order of removal.
- The Cuban link Many Cubans released at the border hold Form I-220A, which is a release order and not a final deportation order.
- The court fight A federal judge in Massachusetts has paused a 2025 rule that sped up these fines, but the law behind them still stands.
- What it means for you Anyone with a final removal order who stays in the United States can face a daily fine that grows into six figures.
- Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (October 2026 edition).
A federal court in Florida has ordered a Honduran woman to pay US$668,390.95 for staying in the United States after a final deportation order. The US Attorney’s Office in Miami announced the deportation fine on Wednesday 21 October 2026.
Cubans in the United States are asking whether the same could happen to them. Many hold Form I-220A, a release paper and not a removal order, so the ruling changes nothing for them.
What the Court Ordered on Wednesday
U.S. District Judge Ed Artau of the Southern District of Florida granted the government a default judgment against Kenia Elizabeth Vasquez Dubon. A default judgment means the court sided with the government because she never answered the lawsuit.
The judge found that she willfully broke an immigration judge’s order by staying in the country. The judgment is US$668,390.95, which is the balance of a US$998 daily fine plus interest through 6 February 2026.
How the Daily Deportation Fine Works
An immigration judge ordered Vasquez Dubon removed to Honduras on 22 July 2022, and the order became final on 23 August 2022. The US Attorney’s Office says she was warned that she could face daily civil penalties if she did not leave.
She then received a Notice of Intent to Fine and an invoice demanding payment, the same office says. She stayed for more than three years, and the government sued to collect.
Why Cubans Are Watching This Case
The Cuban news site Periódico Cubano asked whether Cubans with an I-220A could face the same deportation fine. Its answer was that holding the form is not, by itself, a final order of deportation.
Form I-220A is an Order of Release on Recognizance, which lets a person leave detention while a case goes on. Many Cubans released at the southern border received it, as our report on the I-220A lawsuit explains.
The Line Between Refusing and Being Unable
Periódico Cubano notes that the law separates people who refuse to leave from people who cannot leave for reasons beyond their control. For Cubans that matters, since removals to the island depend on flights and on Havana accepting returnees.
A person with a pending case, a request to reopen it or a stay of removal is in a different position. Someone who simply ignores a final order is the target of a deportation fine under the law.
Courts Are Testing the Fines
A federal judge in Massachusetts has paused a 2025 rule that sped up the deportation fine process, according to Periódico Cubano. The ruling did not remove the government’s power to sanction violations through other mechanisms.
CubaHeadlines reported on 13 October that ICE, the US immigration enforcement agency, issued about 110,000 departure fines from June 2025 to mid-September 2026. It said about 3% of people appealed and won about 25% of resolved appeals.
What It Means for US Readers
The Justice Department is using civil courts to collect from people who ignore final removal orders. A default judgment can then be enforced against wages and property, which makes every deportation fine a collection risk.
For Cuban families the lesson is to answer every court and ICE notice, since a missed reply can end in a judgment without a hearing. Federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones said immigration court orders are binding and that deliberately disobeying a final one can carry serious financial consequences.
What Is Not Known
The US Attorney’s Office has not said whether it has tried to collect the money. It has also not said whether Vasquez Dubon is still in the United States.
No court has yet ruled on how the paused rule affects fines already issued to Cubans. It is also unclear whether more fine lawsuits will follow in South Florida.
More: Cuba news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was fined US$668,390.95?
A Honduran woman named Kenia Elizabeth Vasquez Dubon, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Miami. A federal judge entered a default judgment after she did not respond to the lawsuit.
How is the deportation fine calculated?
The court used a daily civil fine of US$998 for each day she stayed after the final order. It then added statutory interest through 6 February 2026.
Is Form I-220A a deportation order?
No, Form I-220A is an Order of Release on Recognizance, which allows release from detention while a case continues. It does not grant permanent residence.
Can Cubans with an I-220A face a deportation fine?
The deportation fine targets people who stay after a final removal order, not people who only hold the form. Someone with a final order who willfully stays could face the same law.
What should someone do after getting a fine notice?
Check the reply deadline on the notice and seek legal advice quickly. Ignoring a lawsuit can lead to a judgment without the person’s defence being heard.
Sources: US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, press release on the judgment against a Honduran national who failed to comply with a removal order, 21 October 2026; Periódico Cubano, EEUU multó con más de 668.000 dólares a migrante que ignoró su orden de deportación, 22 October 2026; CubaHeadlines, ICE Introduces New Rule Allowing Late Appeals for Certain Immigration Fines, 13 October 2026; Jurist, US judge blocks Trump administration’s attempt to fine migrants who fail to willingly deport, 6 October 2026; Cornell Legal Information Institute, 8 U.S. Code 1324d, civil penalties for failure to depart, statute.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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