Trump admin says it won't hold migration talks with Cuba

Source: NBC News

April 25, 2025, 4:18 PM EDT


Cuba says it will continue receiving deportation flights from the U.S. based on a previous accord between the two countries, even though the State Department says it has no plans to hold migration talks with the island’s government. But the suspension of migration talks comes as President Donald Trump continues to crack down on immigrants and carry out what he calls the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.

It's not clear how the Trump administration plans larger scale repatriations of Cubans without legal immigration status. A State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement to NBC News that “the Trump Administration will no longer engage the Cuban regime for the sole sake of engagement and endless dialogue.” “We have nothing to preview at this time,” the statement said.

When asked about the Trump administration’s comments, the Cuban government told NBC News it will continue to abide by 2017 migration accords it negotiated with then-President Barack Obama. At the time, the Cuban government agreed to accept deportations on a case-by-case basis.

But the monthly flights usually have less than 100 people, far below the mass deportations Trump has vowed to carry out. Deportations on a larger scale would have to be negotiated between the two countries.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-admin-wont-hold-migration-talks-cuba-rcna203035