Cuban refugees set to be deported back to the island who claimed they were victims of persecution in Cuba had that information disclosed to the communist dictatorship by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is claiming the disclosure was accidental, and is rushing to somehow mitigate a possible disaster for these refugees.
The Department of Homeland Security inadvertently tipped off the Cuban government this month that some of the immigrants the agency sought to deport to the island nation had asked the U.S. for protection from persecution or torture, officials said Monday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are now scrambling to foreclose the possibility that the Cuban government could retaliate against individuals it knows sought protection here. The agency has paused its effort to deport the immigrants in question and is considering releasing them from U.S. custody.
There is no doubt these Cuban refugees will suffer repercussions for their claims at the hands of the communist regime if they are returned to Cuba. The only real choices the DHS has is to stop their deportation or risk the lives of these refugees.
It’s almost always prudent to apply “Hanlon’s Razor” and never attribute malice to what can easily be explained by stupidity. And in this case, that is likely the explanation. But watching the Biden administration string together a continuous string of stupid acts over the past two years makes one wonder.