The migration journey of many Cubans is marked by uncertainty, resilience, and the desire to build a better life far from the island. This is the case of a Cuban couple whose story begins in Europe, with an asylum denied in Holland, and ends, for now, in Italy, after obtaining U.S. citizenship and achieving a dream that once seemed impossible.
Through a video posted on TikTok, the user @el_pepe9o shared his experience with the hope of guiding other migrants who are in similar situations.
According to his account, after applying for asylum in the Netherlands, the Dutch government denied him and his wife international protection but offered them a period to leave the country voluntarily.
The options they had were to appeal the case and continue the process in the Netherlands, live irregularly in Spain, or seek alternatives on another continent.
“They questioned us that if we did not agree with the Communist Party in Cuba, why didn’t we join another one. Then we understood that not everyone is aware that there is a dictatorship in Cuba,” she recalls about the immigration hearings in Holland, hinting at the level of skepticism they faced from European authorities.
Without considering the real possibility of returning to Cuba, they opted for the third alternative. They used a Mexican tourist visa that they had obtained in 2017 to begin a new asylum process in the United States.
After arriving at the border, they faced another difficult chapter. Nearly two months of detention in a processing center in Texas, while their application was being resolved.
“The first two years were tough, like for most migrants. You know what it's like,” says the Cuban, who later made a significant decision after enlisting in the United States Army.
That step not only represented a commitment to the country that welcomed them, but also allowed them to solidify their legal status.
Today, as a U.S. citizen, with a family established and a YouTube channel through which he helps other migrants interested in joining the Army, he claims to have no regrets.
The most recent twist in this story brought them back to Europe, this time under different circumstances. Stationed in Italy as part of their military duties, they now live, along with their daughters, without visa restrictions, traveling across the continent like any European citizen.
"What twists life takes", he reflects, grateful for every obstacle they faced, convinced that "if one door closes, another one opens."
The user @el_pepe9o frames his story in the year 2017, when he and his partner, driven by the rumor that the Netherlands was granting political asylum to Cubans, decided to leave Cuba.
Both flew from Havana to Moscow, intending to stop in Amsterdam to seek international protection. However, upon landing at Schiphol Airport, they were detained and spent a week in custody while their identities were verified.
As mentioned in a previous video, they were subsequently transferred to various refugee centers while awaiting the date of the hearing that would determine their future.
But on the day of the court, the train they were on broke down. They arrived late and missed the appointment that could change their lives. Their asylum application was denied.
“We had worked hard to integrate, we were learning the language, but it wasn’t enough”, recalls the Cuban, who recounts how, with just five euros, he and his wife shared a bottle of cider and some chocolates while sitting in a park, reflecting on their uncertain future.
In 2017, there was a significant increase in asylum requests from Cubans in the Netherlands, which led the Dutch government to impose, starting in January 2018, the transit visa requirement for Cuban citizens.
According to reports at that time from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was a measure aimed at curbing the abuses of the asylum system.
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