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Cuban with parole detained by ICE in Texas while driving for Uber, relatives say
Daisel Morales Hernández, 34, is being held by ICE at the Comal County jail, according to CiberCuba; he had a residency application pending under the Cuban Adjustment Act, according to his relatives' account published by journalist Daniel Benítez.
A video almost three minutes long showing the detention of a Cuban identified as Daisel Morales Hernández, 34, while he was working as an Uber driver spread on Facebook and set off a wave of reactions in the Cuban community abroad, CiberCuba reported. The arrest is said to have taken place in Comal County, Texas, according to the police booking record filed on Friday, October 30, and Morales remains in that county's jail in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The clip was posted by journalist Daniel Benítez, who said Morales entered the United States on humanitarian parole and had a residency application pending under the Cuban Adjustment Act, according to his relatives' account. Periódico Cubano notes that the exact date and location of the arrest have not been disclosed, nor whether his temporary permit was still valid, and no deportation order is publicly on record.
In the footage, a woman confronts the agents in English and asks repeatedly why they are detaining the man; when they order her back and threaten her with spray, she replies that perhaps they are so aggressive because they know what they are doing is wrong. Several users pointed out that the agents' vests read "POLICE" and not "ICE."
Filing an adjustment-of-status application does not guarantee approval nor, on its own, prevent a detention, Periódico Cubano recalls, citing a similar case taken to the Florida courts, where a federal judge ordered the release of a Cuban held by ICE who had also applied for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act.
CiberCuba says the case is not isolated and that in October 2026 at least two other Cuban Uber drivers were documented as detained in similar circumstances, among them Frank Yanuyr Arzuaga-Castellón, arrested in Texas while carrying a passenger. The outlet adds that ICE classifies these Cubans as "arriving aliens," a category that can prevent an immigration judge from having jurisdiction to grant them bond.
Sources: CiberCuba · Periódico Cubano
Data updated: 2026-11-01T04:15:00.000Z