Son of B.H. Carroll graduate and professor at risk of deportation

The son of a B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary graduate and East Texas Baptist University adjunct professor, chaplain, and Baptist pastor faces possible deportation to Cuba following the denial of his permanent residency request, Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported.

Daniel Arcadis Solano Jaume, son of Arcadis Solano Silvera, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June 2026 and is at risk of deportation after his request for permanent residency was denied by a judge in California on Oct. 20, according to the CSW report.

Jaume’s next immigration hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, Silvera said. “His attorney is pursuing a motion to terminate the removal proceedings. We are represented by capable attorneys who are working diligently on his behalf, and we are praying for a favorable outcome,” he said.

“We are grateful for every prayer, expression of solidarity, and practical act of support,” Silvera said. “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.”

Silvera received his doctorate from B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary. He also has been an adjunct professor for B.H. Carroll and East Texas Baptist University. Additionally, he serves as a full-time hospice chaplain with VITAS Healthcare in Miami, Fla.

“Caring for people in vulnerable circumstances is central to my vocation, which makes witnessing my own son’s suffering especially painful,” Silvera said.

Entering the U.S.

Jaume entered the United States with his parents and sister legally on Aug. 30, 2023, after fleeing Cuba in March 2023. The family fled after Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces officers tried to remove him from his home to register him for military service, CSW reported. Jaume was 15 at the time. Under Cuban law, the minimum age for military service is 17.

Silvera, Jaume’s father, was a member of the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba and pastored a church in Santiago de Cuba. CSW has documented a decades-long history of Silvera being targeted by the Cuban government.

CSW reports Silvera “was repeatedly threatened with the destruction or forced closure of his church and was assigned a State Security agent who monitored his movements, harassed him and, on multiple occasions, detained him for interrogation.”

When Silvera and his wife decided to flee to protect their son, they traveled through Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and then to Mexico, CSW reported. In Mexico, they started the online U.S. Customs and Border Protection process then in place.

They were granted entry to the U.S. following their appointment in Nogales, Ariz., in August 2023. They then filed for U.S. residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act in September 2024, CSW reported.

In U.S. detention

Jaume was detained on June 25, 2026, in Miami, Fla., after a traffic stop for a minor violation. According to Silvera, Jaume was transferred into ICE custody within 48 hours. While still in Florida, Jaume was “held in a very small room, which he estimated at about three meters by three meters, with more than 60 people,” his father said.

He was held in an ICE facility in Krome, Fla., for 10 days, turning 19 while there. Jaume was later transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Calif., CSW reported. Silvera said Jaume was transferred “by bus and plane while restrained in chains.” During that time, he became severely dehydrated, and his family was unable to communicate with him.

In the California facility, Jaume reported contracting COVID-19 and not being given medication but having to endure the illness.

He and his family are able to communicate “as many as three times a day through the communication application used at the detention center,” Silvera said. “Daniel has continued to rely on his Christian faith. He has prayed, shared Scripture, and preached to others, and he tells us this experience has deepened his relationship with God,” his father said.

Advocating for release

Anna Lee Stangl, CSW’s advocacy director, said: “I have known Rev. Arcadis Solano Silvera and his wife, Yadely Jaume Martin, personally for over 20 years. During that time, he and his wife endured unrelenting Cuban government harassment, repeated threats, and short-term arbitrary detention. CSW documented over 50 such incidents of violations of freedom of religion or belief experienced by Rev. Solano Silvera, his family, and the churches he was leading.”

“Given the circumstances of their flight from Cuba, we have grave concerns about the safety of Daniel Arcadis Solano Jaume, were he to be deported from the United States,” Stangl said. “We respectfully call on the U.S. government to reconsider his detention and to permit him to return to his parents and sister.”

In a personal statement about his son, Silvera said: “Daniel graduated from Felix Varela Senior High School in Kendall. He has worked since arriving in the United States and has filed tax returns. He attends church and has been part of our family’s life of faith and service. Before his detention, he was hoping to join the United States Marine Corps.”

Describing the legal process, Silvera said: “Our family has also faced serious immigration complications. We received a USCIS decision denying Daniel’s Form I-485 application for adjustment of status. Our attorney has filed Form I-290B to challenge that decision.”

U.S. Citizens and Immigration Service Form I-485 is an application to register for permanent residency. USCIS Form I-290B is a notice of appeal.

“We are also addressing questions related to his employment authorization and the possibility of a Notice to Appear,” Silvera continued. “The notice contains technical language about a 33-day period, and we are relying on our attorneys to explain its precise legal meaning and any applicable deadlines.”