An Immigration Lawyer Analyzes the Recent Arrival of a High-ranking Former Cuban Regime Official in Miami

Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, a former official of the Communist Party of Cuba and a key member of Fidel Castro’s support team, recently arrived in Miami. Apparently, he would have hid his past as a high-ranking communist official in order to reunite with his family in the United States, according to Martí Noticias.

Santiago Alpízar, immigration lawyer and vice president of Cubademanda and Cubapresion ID, an organization that exposes human rights violators in Cuba.

The communist leader of Cienfuegos, Menéndez Castellanos, landed at Miami airport on August 15. After a long delay, he left in a wheelchair wearing a pink T-shirt, a cap and a black mask.

He avoided any contact with journalists from Martí Noticias and our channel Americatvé, even if they spent hours at the airport waiting to talk to him.

Martí Noticias said that he simply stated that he intended to go home and tried to take the recording camera with him. The family members who were present did not want to give statements.

Lawyer Alpízar explains the difference between mere membership in the Communist Party and holding a prominent position within the Party and the Cuban government, which is essential to entering United States.

In addition, Menéndez Castellanos was once a prominent figure in the Cuban government, serving as a member of Castro’s parliament and also holding a position in the Cuban Workers’ Union as a union leader.

In 2008, he was in charge of the Coordination and Support Group within the State Council, working closely with the dictator Fidel Castro, according to several media at the time.

In Miami, Cuban refugees such as Jorge Luis García Pérez Antúnez, a former political prisoner, expressed their strong displeasure at the decision to allow a senior official from Castro’s government in Cuba to into the United States.

The lawyer Alpízar, who is the vice president of Cubademanda and Cuba Represion ID, assures the victims of Menéndez Castellanos in Cuba that they have the option to report their cases anonymously to the group by email Cubademanda@cubademanda.org to protect your privacy.

Additionally, you have the option of calling (305) 434-0364. You also have the opportunity to file your complaint with the FBI, the Department of State, the Department of Justice, or the US Department of Homeland Security.