Former Cuban judge faces deportation in Florida

Katrina Castro-Menéndez, a 41-year-old former judge from Matanzas, Cuba, is facing deportation after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida. She was apprehended in a vehicular sting in Cooper City.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges that Castro-Menéndez is inadmissible due to fraud or willful misrepresentation and an alleged affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). Court documents claim she failed to disclose her connection to the party while serving as a criminal judge at the Municipal People's Court of Centro Habana.

Castro-Menéndez denies the accusations, stating that PCC membership is not a mandatory requirement for judicial positions and noting that she began her career at age 23, whereas PCC statutes typically involve members joining after age 30. She maintains that her judicial work was limited to minor offenses and did not involve political cases.