In a striking turn of events, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported a Cuban judge known for her harsh rulings against dissidents, Breitbart reported.
The deportation of Melody González Pedraza, a Cuban communist judge, followed her failed asylum bid on May 21, 2025, amid backlash from Cuban exiles over her record of oppressive sentencing.
González Pedraza first arrived in the United States in late May 2024, traveling from Havana to Tampa, Florida. She entered under the Biden administration’s “humanitarian parole” program, launched in January 2023. This initiative allowed up to 30,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to stay and work legally in the U.S. for two years, though the program no longer exists.
Upon her arrival at Tampa airport, authorities denied González Pedraza entry due to her history as an official under Cuba’s communist regime. She promptly requested political asylum to remain in the country.
Before fleeing to the U.S., González Pedraza had a notorious reputation in Cuba for her judicial decisions. The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FHRC) identified her as a representative of the Castro regime. She was particularly known for imposing severe penalties on peaceful protesters and dissidents.
Just days before her departure to Florida, she sentenced four young Cuban men, all under 30, to four years in prison on questionable “assault” charges in Encrucijada, Villa Clara. Families of the convicted men called the trial a sham, citing a lack of evidence or witnesses.
Marisol Rodríguez Milián, the mother of one of the convicted men, expressed relief at the judge’s deportation. She thanked U.S. authorities for delivering what she called “justice.” Rodríguez Milián told Martí Noticias, “she tried to fabricate it, but couldn’t find any.”
Another Cuban national, Uziel García, shared his personal experience with González Pedraza’s rulings. He told Martí Noticias in 2024, “She has done a lot of damage to the municipality of Encrucijada, in Villa Clara. I am one of her victims.”
García continued, detailing his own sentencing. “I have in my hands the letter of release after having been imprisoned for going out on July 11 to demonstrate peacefully. She sentenced me to two years in prison,” he recounted to Martí Noticias.
González Pedraza defended herself in June 2024, claiming to Diario de Cuba that Cuban state security forced her into issuing harsh penalties. She also denied having sentenced protesters from the July 2021 anti-communist demonstrations. However, García’s testimony directly contradicted her assertion, highlighting her role in his imprisonment for protesting on that date.
García further revealed the judge’s dismissive attitude during his trial. He recalled asking why his sentence for contempt exceeded the standard penalty, to which she responded, “she did what she wanted because she was the judge,” as reported to Martí Noticias.
Complaints from Cuban exiles in the U.S. significantly influenced the outcome of González Pedraza’s case. Unnamed sources indicated that their objections were pivotal in her prosecution and eventual removal from the country.
On May 21, 2025, González Pedraza lost her asylum case before an immigration judge in Pompano Beach, Florida. She opted not to appeal the decision, sealing her fate for deportation.
Samuel Rodríguez Ferrer, a prosecution witness in her case, believed the deportation was only partial justice. He told Martí Noticias, “In reality, she should have been tried in Cuba under a new democratic government for systematic human rights abuses. I told her that to her face during the trial.”
González Pedraza wasn’t alone in her journey to the U.S., arriving with her husband, William Hernández Carrazana, and her brother, Ruber González Pedraza. Hernández Carrazana was also deported in 2025, while Ruber, who once ran a pro-Castro blog supporting communist spies, was detained by ICE in Florida and chose self-deportation after erasing his online presence.
