Watching FIFA World Cup referees darting back and forth across the pitch these days, I was reminded that some professions are thankless. Theirs is one such job: a single blunder triggers an avalanche of criticism, while getting it right goes unnoticed. Yet, it is not the only one. The role of the politician in charge is another — and one judged even more harshly, I would argue.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article arguing that the real and sustained misuse of terms like “refugee” or “asylum” should not lead to extremes, given that there are, in fact, people who genuinely fit these categories. In that piece, I called on the Trump administration to punish fraudsters — yes — but also to assist the truly persecuted.

Today, I must highlight a couple of cases that illustrate how the White House is embracing this sound practice.

Just weeks after sanctions were imposed on the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) — described by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “a vehicle for radical leftist extremism and subversive foreign influence in the U.S. and throughout our hemisphere” — Carlos Antonio Lloga Domínguez was expelled from the country. He was a former Castro-regime official linked to that organization.

In an official statement, Rubio detailed that despite residing in the U.S., Lloga Domínguez “maintains ties to the organization” as well as “links to the transnational network of communist subversion.” Consequently, he, his wife, and his son “are now in federal custody awaiting removal from the United States.”

Rubio reaffirmed that the country “will never become a home for foreign communists who peddle propaganda, direct subversive influence operations, or support radical anti-American movements.” He further warned that anyone dealing with ICAP would face sanctions, prosecution, or deportation.

Like Rubio, I agree that ICAP is an influence and intelligence group controlled by Havana, possessing an extensive global network that fosters espionage, promotes anti-Western propaganda, coordinates foreign influence operations, and organizes leftist revolutionary movements worldwide.

In recent weeks, [there have been interactions] with former prison system officials, daughters of high-ranking Castro-era military officers, former Communist Youth leaders, and former Ministry of the Interior officers.

On another front, the winds are shifting toward extending a hand to those fighting against socialism.

In early July, an immigration judge dismissed the deportation proceedings facing Cuban journalist Yosmany Mayeta. Originally from Santiago de Cuba, he is a well-known reporter who exposes the brutality of the Castro regime and the hardships of daily life on the island; he also frequently participates in demonstrations calling for the release of political prisoners outside the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C.

He arrived in the United States in 2019 on a student visa linked to his work as an independent journalist. As he detailed on social media, he began the process of regularizing his immigration status, but the case was stalled by the lack of a resolution regarding an immigration waiver that was never processed by the relevant authorities.

Last month, Mayeta explained on social media that he lacked the financial resources to hire specialized legal counsel after his application for permanent residency was denied.

The immigration authorities’ decision ended months of uncertainty for Mayeta, who can now continue his work denouncing an anti-American tyranny without the threat of deportation back to the island.

The journalist told the press that he knew that hearing could change his life.

“Before going in, I said a prayer and surrendered everything to God, like someone letting go of a burden they can no longer carry alone,” he commented. “I feared deportation, but my greatest fear was losing the chance to keep living in a country where I have been able to work and practice journalism freely — something that, in Cuba, cost me beatings, threats, and persecution.” Upon learning of the judge’s decision, the first thing she did was give thanks. “The first thing I did was thank God, with my eyes closed and my heart racing. Then I thought of my family, my lawyers, and all the people — including my followers — who prayed for me and stood by me throughout this process,” he said.

The “Yes” for Mayeta and the “No” for the socialists are good news, a blend of hope and justice that I trust will prove enduring.