In November 2019, about 40 people packed into a conference room at the Westchester Regional Library that sits at the heart of Miami-Dade’s suburban Cuban American community.

The group whispered among themselves and occasionally raised their voices in exasperation, seeking answers to a problem that continues to affect thousands of South Florida families to this day.

The topic of concern: the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program. For years, the program has served as a straightforward, legal way to reunite Cuban families in the US.

Related: 06:24 rgfko_4bg&q=https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-04-13/refugees-stuck-limbo-over-bidens-inaction-restore-admissions-program&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiW6dK11IPwAhW4FVkFHX80B0MQFjAEegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw0adHskVT6cwjKYT2JaSS10" target="_self">Biden slow to restore refugee admissions program

The issues with the program were complicated by geopolitics.

After staff at the US Embassy in Havana were mysteriously injured in what the US believes to be sonic attacks, the Trump administration all but shut down the embassy and removed staff at the end of 2017. And as the staff went away, all of the families that were enrolled in the program were left in limbo, with no one to conduct the necessary interviews and to process the piles of paperwork.

Related: 06:24 rgfko_4bg&q=https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-03-04/biden-proposes-legal-term-change-recognize-humanity-noncitizens&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiW6dK11IPwAhW4FVkFHX80B0MQFjAJegQIAhAC&usg=AOvVaw3qpZm7BQze_hBfjsTHWqmC" target="_self">From ‘aliens’ to ‘noncitizens’ — a Biden word change that matters

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full alignfull">

<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A woman passes out prayer beads to a gathering of people affected by the pause in the family reunification program at the Ermita de la Caridad National Shrine in Miami, taken in March.Daniel Rivero/WLRN</figcaption>
</figure>

By 2019, the embassy was still largely shut down and families had been waiting years to reunite with their loved ones, with no end in sight.

“My family has been completely [torn] apart.”

“My family has been completely [torn] apart,” said Claudia Bringuier, who was 27 at the time. She arrived in the US at the age of 20 and had paid $2,000 to get her parents into the program.

“My parents get sick, and I get sick and I’m here by myself,” she said. “I’m lucky enough to have people I love and I want them with me. Some people maybe don’t have them, and don’t have this issue. I do.”

Bringuier is still waiting to reunite with her parents through the program.

Related: 06:24 rgfko_4bg&q=https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-02-10/immigrants-rights-activists-call-biden-end-private-detention&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwje1NrI1IPwAhWyGFkFHSMEDQ44ChAWMAJ6BAgHEAI&usg=AOvVaw2TOYaJwU1h-pUL69fdRvrc" target="_self">Immigration rights activists call on Biden to end private detention

The group gathered in Westchester to hear from two lawmakers, who were not of Cuban origin, but who nonetheless were seeking solutions to their concerns.

Then-Democratic Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was sponsoring a bill that would have forced the State Department, under President Trump, to start processing the cases — through offering options like video conferencing. Then-Representative Donna Shalala co-sponsored the bill, and she was also present.

“We denounce the Cuban government, but let’s not punish the Cuban families that are suffering the consequences of that government.”

“We denounce the Cuban government, but let’s not punish the Cuban families that are suffering the consequences of that government,” said Mucarsel-Powell at the time. “There should be bipartisan support on this program. The [Trump] administration is not taking action, then we need to.”

“We are begging the administration officials to move these cases,” added Shalala. “This is not new immigration law. This is asking the administration to implement existing law.”

Related: 06:24 rgfko_4bg&q=https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-02-02/biden-expands-quick-bid-undo-trumps-immigration-policies&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwje1NrI1IPwAhWyGFkFHSMEDQ44ChAWMAR6BAgGEAI&usg=AOvVaw1YQfKd_D6cdXgn6Pw8CU6q" target="_self">Biden expands quick bid to undo Trump’s immigration policies

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full alignright">

<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cuban Americans call on Biden administration to help reunite their families.Daniel Rivero/WLRN</figcaption>
</figure>

 

The law that created the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program was signed in 2007 by former President George W. Bush.

The bill that would have forced the Trump administration to start working through the backlog of cases was introduced to the House of Representatives, but it never received any votes or even a committee hearing.

‘The years have gone by us’

With President Joe Biden in office now, some Cuban American families stuck in limbo are hoping that things will soon change. To date, an estimated 22,000 family reunification cases have been stuck in the immigration backlog, as basic services remain on hold at the US Embassy in Havana.

On a recent Sunday, dozens of Cuban families gathered at the Ermita de la Caridad National Shrine in Miami in a show of solidarity with one another, hoping to spur changes from the Biden administration.

“I claimed my son in March of 2016,” said Marietta Medialdea.

Medialdea held a heart-shaped box with a written plea to President Biden and a T-shirt featuring photos of her son. She came to the US in 2014 seeking liberty and said she never imagined the clearly-outlined legal process would still be dragging on. Her son was only 13 years old when she first claimed him, she said. Now, he is about to turn 18.

“We’re asking Biden to restart consular services in Cuba. We’ve done everything the way that they asked us to.”

“Right on the edge of them taking him to do his year of service in the Cuban military,” she said. Conscription for the military is mandatory in Cuba, something that keeps her up at night. “We’re asking Biden to restart consular services in Cuba. We’ve done everything the way that they asked us to,” she said.

Related: <a data-ctorig="https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-12-22/therapists-network-supports-immigrants-advocates-during-pand