USA: Release Cuban asylum seeker with diabetes

On November 26, 2025, Denis Cabrera Rodríguez, a Cuban man seeking asylum, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently held at Krome North Service Processing Center in Florida. Denis has Type 1 Diabetes and relies on an insulin pump, which ICE is refusing to allow him to use. Without proper access to his insulin pump and adequate medical care, his health is rapidly deteriorating. Authorities must provide him with necessary healthcare and release him from detention immediately to prevent further harm.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the Field Director for ICE urging her to:

• ensure that Denis is immediately released and provided with the urgent medical care he desperately needs.

Denis Cabrera Rodríguez: Background and activism

Denis Cabrera Rodríguez, 33, is a Cuban artist and human rights activist associated with movements such as San Isidro and 27N. In Cuba, he faced censorship, arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance because of his work and activism. Denis entered the United States in 2022 and claimed asylum. His asylum application is still pending.

Medical risks and detention conditions

Denis has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since he was ten and relies on an insulin pump to manage his blood sugar. Since his detention on November 26, 2025 at Krome North Service Processing Center in Florida, he has not received adequate glucose monitoring, insulin, or appropriate food. ICE is not allowing him to use his insulin pump, and his health is rapidly deteriorating. His requests for hospital transfer have been denied.

Krome North Service Processing Center

Krome is one of the oldest and largest ICE detention facilities in the U.S., located in Miami-Dade County near the Everglades. Operated day-to-day by Akima Global Services, LLC, the facility has long been criticised for overcrowding, limited medical care, degrading treatment, and procedural failures that impede access to legal counsel and due process. In 2025, the facility has faced increased scrutiny following reports of severe overcrowding and multiple deaths in custody.

Independent investigations have documented systemic issues at Krome, including inadequate medical care, problematic intake procedures, and housing practices that may constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law. Amnesty International research highlights barriers to timely healthcare, with at least four deaths in custody during 2025 raising serious concerns.

Broader context of ICE detention

ICE detention in the United States has dramatically expanded under the Trump administration. As of November 16, 2025, there were 65,135 individuals in ICE detention, excluding those in short-term or federal facilities. This represents a 64% increase since January 2025, with Florida alone seeing a 47% rise. In 2025, at least 25 individuals have died in ICE custody, compared with 12 in 2024.

Policies denying bond to those who entered the U.S. irregularly mean many asylum seekers, including those with pending claims, are forced to remain in detention until their cases are decided. International law prohibits penalizing asylum seekers for irregular entry and requires fair assessment of refugee claims.

Urgent call for action

The 2025 Reconciliation Bill, passed in July, expanded ICE’s budget to $150 billion, including $45 billion for detention expansion. Ensuring accountability and access to medical care for detainees like Denis is critical. Amnesty International is calling for Denis Cabrera Rodríguez’s immediate release or, at minimum, guaranteed access to adequate medical care to prevent further deterioration of his health.

Please take action as soon as possible until June 11, 2026. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.