Green cards for Cuban nationals, asylum and temporary protection questions, family petitions that cross several countries, and citizenship applications for long-time residents, explained in plain language for Broward County households.
Pembroke Pines sits in southwestern Broward County, a short drive from the Miami-Dade line, and its immigration questions look different from those of most American suburbs. A household may include a grandparent who arrived from Havana decades ago, a daughter who naturalized, and a nephew who reached Florida from Caracas or Port-au-Prince only recently.
Those relatives rarely share the same legal footing. One may qualify for a green card under a law written only for Cuban nationals. Another may be waiting on an asylum claim, living under temporary protection that courts and agencies keep revisiting. A third may simply need to file for citizenship after years as a permanent resident.
This site explains how those processes generally work, which federal offices Pembroke Pines residents deal with, and what has changed through 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Outcomes depend on individual facts, so a consultation with a licensed immigration attorney is the right way to assess any specific case.
One-year-and-a-day green cards for Cuban nationals, parole-based cases, and work permits while a case is pending.
Learn more →Asylum filings, Temporary Protected Status questions, and defensive claims before the Miami immigration court.
Learn more →Spousal and parent petitions, I-485 adjustment, and the Broward County waiting-line questions families ask most.
Learn more →N-400 eligibility review, the civics and English tests, and continuous-residence questions for long-time residents.
Learn more →Census Bureau decennial data counted 171,178 residents in Pembroke Pines in April 2020, making it one of the largest cities in Broward County. American Community Survey estimates for 2020 to 2024 put the foreign-born share at roughly 40 percent, or about 70,000 people, compared with about 14 percent nationally.
Hispanic or Latino residents make up close to half of the city, and more than half of residents age five and older speak a language other than English at home, most often Spanish. Cuba is generally reported as the leading country of birth, followed by Colombia and Venezuela, with sizable Jamaican and Haitian communities across southwestern Broward.
That mix matters legally. Cuban nationals have a statutory path that nobody else has, Venezuelans and Haitians have often relied on temporary programs, and Colombians and Jamaicans more often move through family petitions and employment. Each group meets a different set of deadlines, forms and risks.
Most Pembroke Pines cases run through federal agencies, but geography still shapes them. Interviews are set at Broward and Miami-Dade offices, removal cases are heard in downtown Miami, and detained cases move between Krome and Pompano Beach. A lawyer who knows those rhythms can plan evidence, travel and childcare around real dates.
Florida adds its own layer. A 2023 state law requires private employers with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify for new hires, and Broward's sheriff operates under federal 287(g) agreements, according to published agency and press accounts. A 2025 state immigration-crime statute has been blocked in federal court as of this writing.
Language and culture also matter. Many clients describe persecution, parole histories or family separations in Spanish, Haitian Creole or Portuguese, and the details of those accounts decide asylum and discretionary cases. Interpreters and translated records need to be handled carefully so the written file matches what the person actually lived.
A case starts with paperwork: passport, entry record, parole or I-94 history, any notice from USCIS or the immigration court, and past applications. The route forward depends on how and when each person entered and what they hold now.
Some deadlines are measured in days, such as a hearing date or an appeal, and others in years, such as the one-year asylum filing rule. Missed deadlines are the most common avoidable problem, so notices are sorted by date first.
A Cuban national may use the Cuban Adjustment Act, a spouse of a citizen a family petition, and a person fleeing harm an asylum claim. Sometimes two routes apply at once and the order of filing matters.
Marriage records, tax returns, police certificates, translated documents and personal declarations are assembled. Foreign-language documents need certified English translations when filed with USCIS or the court.
Forms are filed online or by mail with the required fee, and a receipt notice follows. An Application Support Center appointment collects fingerprints and photographs for background checks.
Interviews at the field office and hearings in Miami each have their own format. Preparation covers likely questions, document originals, interpreter needs and what to do if a request for evidence arrives.
An approval brings a card or an oath ceremony. A denial may bring an appeal, a motion or a new filing, each with its own deadline, and that is when going back to a lawyer quickly matters most.
Oakland Park, Florida (street address on your appointment notice)
Broward County residents are commonly scheduled here for green card and naturalization interviews, though the Miami and Hialeah offices also serve South Florida. USCIS field offices do not accept walk-ins. The street address was not confirmed on an official page for this guide, so rely on the location printed on your notice.
Official pageLocation listed on your biometrics notice
Fingerprints and photographs are taken at an Application Support Center, which can be a different building from the field office. The USCIS locator lists the centers serving Broward and Miami-Dade. Bring the notice and a photo ID, and arrive on the scheduled date rather than early or late.
Official pageOne Riverview Square, 333 S. Miami Avenue, Suite 700, Miami, FL 33130
The non-detained immigration court that handles removal and asylum cases for Broward County residents. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and window filing runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday except federal holidays. Confirm your court and hearing date on the EOIR case portal.
Official pageKrome North Processing Center, 18201 SW 12th Street, Miami, FL 33194
Hearings for people held at the Krome North Processing Center take place in this courthouse inside the facility. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Families in Pembroke Pines often drive about forty minutes to visit or attend a hearing.
Official pagePompano Beach, Florida
An ICE detention facility in north Broward County operated by a private contractor. Detained immigration hearings for people held there are scheduled by the immigration court system. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator to find where a person is held before traveling.
Official pageA residential area in the southwestern part of the city where many families balance work commutes toward Miramar, Hollywood and Miami with scheduled trips to USCIS and court.
A retail and residential area near the mall and the Florida Turnpike, convenient for reaching Oakland Park and downtown Miami for appointments and hearings.
A master-planned residential community in the western part of the city, home to households that often include several generations and mixed immigration statuses.
A gated residential community along the Pembroke Pines and Davie border, where residents ask about family petitions, naturalization and sponsoring relatives abroad.
An age-restricted community whose older residents commonly raise naturalization questions, including the age and residence exceptions for the civics and English tests.
A neighborhood in the eastern part of the city close to Hollywood and Pembroke Road, convenient for travel to Broward County federal offices.
Broward County applicants are commonly scheduled at the USCIS Oakland Park Field Office, although Miami or Hialeah can appear on a notice. USCIS does not accept walk-ins, so the appointment notice controls. Biometrics may be at a separate Application Support Center. Always check the address printed on the notice shortly before the date, since locations can change.
Broward County non-detained cases are generally heard at the Miami Immigration Court at 333 S. Miami Avenue, Suite 700 in downtown Miami. Detained cases for people held at Krome are heard at the court inside that facility. Your Notice to Appear and the EOIR automated case information system confirm the court and date, so check them yourself.
The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 lets certain Cuban natives or citizens who were inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States, and who have been physically present for at least one year, apply for permanent residence. It remains federal law, though agency vetting practices change, so eligibility and processing should be checked case by case.
The status of both designations has shifted through administrative actions and court rulings, and the situation may change again. As of October 2026, anyone relying on TPS should check the USCIS TPS page for each country and speak with an attorney about backup options such as asylum or family petitions before any work permit or protection date passes.
Asylum applications generally must be filed within one year of the last arrival in the United States, unless changed or extraordinary circumstances apply. Missing the year can bar the claim, though other protection may remain available. Because the clock runs from arrival and not from learning the rule, anyone who might have a claim should have the date reviewed promptly.
Most permanent residents may apply after five years, or three years if married to and living with a U.S. citizen, if they meet residence, physical presence, English, civics and good moral character requirements. A criminal record, long trips abroad or unpaid taxes can complicate an application, so an eligibility review before filing the N-400 is wise.
Federal law controls who can obtain status, and USCIS and the immigration court apply it the same way in every state. Florida laws do affect daily life, such as the E-Verify requirement for larger employers and local cooperation with ICE, and they can shape arrests and detention. State rules never replace the federal process for obtaining a green card.
The ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov searches by name and country of birth or by A-number. For people in county custody, the Broward Sheriff's Office inmate search can help. If a relative is held at Krome or in Broward, an attorney can explain bond eligibility and hearing dates, which depend heavily on the person's history and the type of detention.
Every case is different. A consultation is the fastest way to understand your options.