Former Cuban Prosecutor Who Persecuted Dissidents Seeks Asylum in the U.S.

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A former Cuban prosecutor, known for persecuting opponents of the communist regime, is now seeking asylum in the United States. Rosabel Roca Sampedro, responsible for the arrest and imprisonment of over a thousand political dissidents, is currently in Texas awaiting the outcome of her asylum request.

«Because of her actions, four innocent people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years and four months to three years and six months,» said Javier Larrondo, director of the NGO Prisoners Defenders.

Roca Sampedro’s role during the July 2021 civil protests in Cuba, fueled by the anthem Patria y Vida, was pivotal in ordering the detention of those who raised their voices against the regime.

Cuban-American Congressmen Protest

Three prominent Cuban-American members of Congress — Carlos Gimenez, Mario Díaz-Balart, and María Elvira Salazar — have expressed their opposition to Roca Sampedro’s presence in the U.S. In a letter to U.S. immigration authorities, they requested that her asylum request be denied.

Repressors Seeking Asylum in the U.S.

Roca Sampedro’s case is not unique. In 2024 alone, at least three former Cuban officials with repressive backgrounds have sought asylum in the U.S. One notable case is that of former military pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, involved in the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue incident in which Cuban fighter jets shot down planes carrying Cuban-American exiles. González-Pardo Rodríguez entered the U.S. in April 2024 through the humanitarian parole program.

Other prominent Cuban officials who have arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum include former Communist Party secretary Manuel Menéndez Castellanos and former judge Melody González Pedraza. Both face potential deportation due to their affiliations with the Communist regime, despite claims that these affiliations were necessary for their professions.

Another case is Arelys Casañola Quintana, who entered Mexico in 2023 with her son and eventually obtained asylum in the U.S. despite her prominent role in Cuba’s repressive state institutions.

What is CBP One?

Like many other Cuban asylum seekers, Roca Sampedro utilized the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app, which allows non-Mexican citizens to apply for temporary entry into the U.S. from eight points in Mexico. According to the U.S. Department of State, the app facilitated 170,000 applications in its first six months.

Obama and the End of Special Cuban Amnesty

Since President Obama’s decision to end the special amnesty for Cubans in 2017, Cubans have been required to cross the southern U.S. border and apply for programs designated for those entering from Mexico. Previously, under the «wet foot, dry foot» policy, Cubans who reached U.S. soil could automatically apply for residency.

Although immigration restrictions are often attributed to Republicans, it was Democrat Barack Obama who ended the long-standing Cuban amnesty, as part of a broader effort to normalize relations with Cuba — a policy that has been criticized for benefiting the Cuban regime rather than ordinary citizens.