NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico _ The five Cubans who turned themselves into U.S. immigration authorities Saturday afternoon were back in Mexico Sunday after they withdrew their asylum applications out of fear they would miss any relief President-elect Donald Trump might provide.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection advised them they were seeking something that no longer existed, faced months in detention and still were likely to be deported, the Cubans said.
"If I entered the asylum process now and then there is a change to help the Cubans, it wouldn't matter," said Alberto Rafael Ramirez. "I'd have to continue in the asylum process."
The swift end to their asylum request shows how difficult it will be for many Cubans to argue that they're political refugees who deserve special protection. Like other immigrants traveling from Mexico or El Salvador, Cuban migrants will be subject to deportation if they can't prove credible fear of persecution if returned.
Ramirez, Yoanny Iglesia Jimenez, Yoe Luis Santana, Jose Angel Castaneda, and Yanitsy Correoso Rivero all said they were allowed to leave the border station without facing any additional penalties.
Immigration lawyers who have consulted with Cuban families questioned the five's understanding, saying they should be able to benefit from any future special parole or legal assistance the U.S. government provided _ not that it should be expected.
Jorge Rivera, a Miami immigration attorney, said it sounded like they received bad advice. But he expected there would be some initial confusion and discrepancies on how Cubans were handled considering the recent change.
"Sounds like there is a lot of disarry at the border right now," he said. "Obama's policy change probably took CBP by surprise just like everyone else."
While the five hope that Trump or the Republican-led Congress will provide some legal relief that will allow them into the United States, the likelihood of a policy reversal appears slim.
The most likely champions of their cause, Cuban-American lawmakers, told The Miami Herald last week that they don't intend to ask Trump to reinstate the "wet foot, dry foot" policy that for two decades had allowed any Cuban who arrived on U.S. soil to remain in the country.
Spending the night at the border station was difficult for the group. They were handcuffed and shackled. Some border officials were nicer than others. But largely the group said they were well-treated.
Jimenez said the agents were kind, but direct. The five were told they could be in detention two months or a year. Ramirez said they would be detained with some dangerous criminals and, in the end, it would be a difficult battle to win.
Correoso, of Guantanamo, the only woman in the group, said she was surprised by how well they were treated. The agents gave them tacos and energy bars. They explained the risks that they were taking and allowed them to withdraw their applications without being further penalized.
The five were split on what they would do if a legal path to the United States doesn't emerge.
Ramirez said he has no intention of spending months in a U.S. prison, but Jimenez said he would seek asylum again. Castaneda and Santana had yet to make up their mind. Correoso said she'd concentrate on the positive.
"At this moment, the only thing I can focus on is that I'll be able to enter," she said.
