Son of Cuban Baptist Pastor Held by ICE Since June Faces Possible Deportation

MIAMI, Fla. —

The 19-year-old son of a Cuban Baptist pastor has been held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June and could be deported to Cuba, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a U.K.-based religious liberty group, and The Christian Post.

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Daniel Arcadis Solano Jaume was stopped by police at about 2 a.m. on June 25 in the Kendall area of Miami-Dade County for driving without his lights on, The Christian Post reported. His father says a pending traffic citation is his only offense. He spent about 48 hours at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center before ICE took custody. He was held for several hours in a crowded room of more than 60 people at an ICE facility in Miramar, Fla., then about 10 days at the Krome facility in Miami, and was later moved to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Calif.

His father, Rev. Arcadis Solano Silvera, led a church in Santiago de Cuba and was a member of the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba. CSW says it has documented more than 50 incidents of harassment against the family in Cuba, including threats to close the church, surveillance by a State Security agent and detentions for questioning. In March 2023, when Daniel was 15, Cuban military officers came to the family's home to register him for military service, according to CSW.

The family, including his mother, Yadely Jaume Martin, and his sister, fled through Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico and entered the United States legally at Nogales, Ariz., on Aug. 30, 2023. They applied for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act in September 2024. CSW said his request for permanent residency was denied on Oct. 20; the family's lawyer has filed an appeal, The Christian Post reported.

In Miami, Solano Silvera works as a full-time hospice chaplain and teaches as an adjunct professor with B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary and East Texas Baptist University. His son graduated from Felix Varela Senior High School in Kendall and had hoped to join the U.S. Marine Corps. The Miami Baptist Association and a Marine sergeant wrote letters vouching for his character. His father says Daniel has kept praying, sharing Scripture and preaching to other detainees.

“We are grateful for every prayer, expression of solidarity, and practical act of support,” Solano Silvera said in a statement to CSW. Anna Lee Stangl, CSW's advocacy director, said the group has “grave concerns” about the young man's safety and called on the U.S. government “to reconsider his detention.”

The Christian Post said it asked ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for comment and had not received replies by publication. An immigration court hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, at which his lawyer was expected to ask the court to end the deportation case; the outcome had not been reported. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details of the family's treatment in Cuba.