CUBA · MIGRATION

A rights group says US officers told a Cuban detainee he will go to Africa. The government calls the story false.

Workers Circle, a migrant rights group, says a Cuban migrant held in Florida faces deportation to Africa. His wife says Noslén Sendra, 41, has diabetes and acute pancreatitis.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the Guardian the story is false and no sick detainee is being deported. It says Sendra is a Cuban convicted of fraud, larceny and property crimes, ordered removed in September 2015.

What Workers Circle and Sendra’s Wife Say

Workers Circle is a migrant rights group founded by Jewish immigrants more than 125 years ago, Telemundo 51 reports. Its organiser Arianne Betancourt spoke at a press conference on Tuesday evening, 20 October, with relatives of detainees.

Sendra has been in custody since November 2025, his wife says. She says he was held at Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades, then at Krome since April.

His wife, Anisley Cortés, says he lost over 50 pounds (about 23 kilograms) and was denied medication and enough food. She says he spent several weeks in hospital earlier this year.

Cortés says Cuba will not accept him, and that officers told him Mexico refused because he needs too many medicines. She says they then told him he would be sent to Africa.

Cortés says the family does not know where he will be sent or whether they will see him again. DHS says he was consistently cleared and discharged from hospital after evaluation.

Which Flights Could Be Involved

Immigration lawyer Shalyn Fluharty said detainees expect flights on Thursday and Friday to the Central African Republic and possibly Burundi. Nothing official confirms that Sendra is on either flight.

Fluharty warned that some flights last up to 24 hours, with deportees shackled at the hands, ankles and waist. She asked what happens to a passenger who needs regular food or insulin.

Latin Times says the Tampa Bay Times reported a 30 July flight from Texas to Bangui with 36 deportees. It says the trip lasted about 21 hours, several were Cuban and all were shackled.

Yasmany Moreno, a Cuban in Bangui, says conditions in a detention centre there are inhumane, 14ymedio reports. It says he and four other Cubans show symptoms of malaria, and UN staff gave them a box of doxycycline.

Detainees board a Colombian Air Force plane for a deportation flight from California in January 2025. The photo is a file image of a different flight and does not show Sendra or any African route. Photo: CBP Photography / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

What the Supreme Court and Rights Groups Have Said

On Tuesday, 29 September, the Supreme Court granted a stay that lets the government keep making third-country removals for now. The Court’s order list shows Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson would have denied the request.

The Court also agreed to hear the case, number 26-426, in its December session. SCOTUSblog says oral argument is set for Wednesday, 9 December.

Human Rights Watch published a 125-page report on Thursday, 8 October on removals to Africa. It says the US sent over 500 people to African countries where they have no ties, without a real chance to contest.

The group interviewed 24 deportees sent to six African countries, including the Central African Republic. It says flights shackled them, sometimes for 18 hours or more, and some lacked needed medicines.

DHS called third-country removals an essential public safety tool for removing dangerous criminals, The Namibian reports. HRW says the policy is designed to cause suffering.

How Large Is the Programme

Forbidden Stories, a nonprofit journalism group, counted at least 25,447 third-country deportations from 20 January 2025 to 31 August 2026. Tico Times reports that about 20,000 went to Mexico and the rest to 27 other countries.

The investigation says the US set aside US$410 million for payments to receiving countries or United Nations agencies. It counts about 35 countries that signed agreements.

Telemundo 51 reports that a September DHS inspector general report found 1,102 detainees at Krome in space for 882 in May 2025. It also counted 15 vacant medical posts.

What It Means for US Readers

These removals are paid for with US public money and run by a federal agency. The December Supreme Court hearing will decide whether the government may keep sending people to countries they have never visited.

Florida holds both Krome and the largest Cuban community in the country, so such cases reach local courts and voters. More coverage is in the Cuba section, including Cuban deportation fines and ICE arrests of Cubans.

Third-country removals also reach the Caribbean, as Jamaica’s arrivals of 22 third-country nationals show. DHS says people sent to third countries receive notice and diplomatic assurances beforehand.

What Is Not Known

Whether Sendra was put on a flight, and where it landed, is unknown. DHS denies the story but has not said where he would go.

The Guardian original is the main account, and the Workers Circle page carries only a summary and a quote. Sendra’s medical records have not been published, and his health claims come from his wife.

No court filing for Sendra was found, and his family’s reply to the DHS conviction claim is not reported. The claim about Mexico rests on what officers reportedly told him, relayed by his wife.

The Tampa Bay Times report and the inspector general report itself were not opened. The malaria claim comes only from 14ymedio, which quotes Moreno.

What Comes Next

The Supreme Court hears the third-country case on Wednesday, 9 December, and a ruling is likely next year. Until then the stay lets removals continue.

A lawyer for Sendra could ask a court to pause any transfer on medical grounds. Nothing in the sources shows that a motion has been filed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Noslen Sendra?

He is a 41-year-old Cuban held in Florida detention since November 2025, his wife says. DHS says he was convicted of fraud, larceny and property crimes.

Is the United States deporting sick migrants to Africa?

Workers Circle says so, and a Cuban in Bangui says detainees there are ill. DHS calls the story false and says all detainees are medically cleared.

Why is Africa the destination?

His wife says officers told him Mexico would not accept him, and that Cuba will not either. The US has agreements with about 35 countries.

Is the policy legal?

The Supreme Court has not decided. It let removals continue on 29 September and will hear the case on 9 December.

How many people have been sent to third countries?

Forbidden Stories counts at least 25,447 through 31 August 2026. The US set aside US$410 million for receiving countries and UN agencies.

Sources: The Guardian, 21 October; Workers Circle, 21 October; Telemundo 51 on the inspector general report, 16 September; 14ymedio, 22 October; CubaHeadlines, 21 October; US Supreme Court docket 26A406; Supreme Court order list, 29 September; SCOTUSblog; Human Rights Watch, 8 October; The Namibian, 9 October; Tico Times, 21 September; Latin Times, 2 September; Telemundo 51, 9 September (all accessed 23 October 2026).