Cuban pastor’s son gets new court date as advocates dispute ICE allegations

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 30, 2026

A Cuban pastor's son detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is awaiting a hearing in his deportation case in the coming weeks after an immigration judge scheduled a new court date, according to the United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Daniel Arcadis Solano Jaume recently appeared before an immigration judge, who set another hearing for two weeks later, CSW told The Christian Post. 

The development comes as the Christian advocacy organization disputes allegations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning Solano Jaume's immigration history and criminal charges.

Solano Jaume, 19, was detained by ICE on June 25 in Florida after he was stopped by police for a traffic violation. He was later transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California.

CSW has warned that deportation to Cuba could put him at risk of imprisonment and further persecution because of his family's history of religious persecution in the communist country.

In a statement to CP, a DHS spokesperson said ICE arrested Solano Jaume on June 25, 2026, describing him as a "criminal illegal alien from Cuba" who had been charged with three counts of felony drug possession.

The spokesperson also alleged that Solano Jaume entered the United States illegally through Nogales, Arizona, on Aug. 30, 2023, and was released into the country by the Biden administration.

"All of his claims will be heard by an immigration judge, and he will receive due process," the spokesperson said, adding that Solano Jaume would remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

The DHS spokesperson also emphasized that a pending application for immigration benefits does not confer legal status in the United States.

"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences," the spokesperson added. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S."

CSW disputed both the criminal allegations and the department's characterization of Solano Jaume's entry into the country. The organization acknowledged that Solano Jaume was initially charged with three felony drug offenses but said a judge subsequently dismissed the charges. 

“As such, they should not be used as legal grounds or any kind of justification for deportation. His father reiterates that Daniel has a clean record and the only thing pending is the traffic violation,” a CSW spokesperson told CP.

The spokesperson also rejected the allegation that Solano Jaume entered the United States illegally, explaining that a legal appointment process was available at the time for Cubans and Nicaraguans seeking entry from Mexico.

Under the process, applicants could apply online while in Mexico to schedule an appointment at a U.S. border crossing, where their eligibility to enter the country would be reviewed.

“The family followed this process, went to Mexico, kept their appointment in Nogales, Arizona and were admitted into the US by Border Patrol, as stated in our press release. Daniel was underage and entered with his parents and sister,” the CSW spokesperson stated. “They then began the process, while Daniel was still underage, of registering for residency one year later under the Cuban Adjustment Act, which, at the time, was also the typical legal route for Cubans.” 

“We were in regular communication with the family from their departure from Cuba, visited with them in Mexico after they arrived there, and were in daily contact with them in the run-up to and after their entry into the US,” the spokesperson added. 

Solano Jaume's father, the Rev. Arcadis Solano Silvera, was a Baptist pastor in Santiago de Cuba and a member of the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba. According to CSW, Cuban authorities targeted him for years, threatening to close or destroy his church and subjecting him to harassment and questioning by State Security.

In March 2023, members of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces reportedly visited the family's home seeking to register Solano Jaume for military service. He was 15 at the time, while Cuban law sets 17 as the minimum age for compulsory military service.

Solano Silvera is a hospice chaplain who has also served as an adjunct professor with B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary and East Texas Baptist University. 

"We are grateful for every prayer, expression of solidarity, and practical act of support," the father said in a statement.

"Our hope is that Daniel's situation will be evaluated fairly, that his dignity and health will be protected, and that he will be able to return to his family and continue building his future. Above all, we continue trusting God as our attorneys pursue every appropriate legal avenue."