With a broken voice and tears in her eyes, a Cuban mother shared the profound pain she is experiencing after her son was detained by ICE in the United States. Her testimony, filled with anguish and faith, was shared by the influencer Dairon Cano and reflects the desperation of many migrant families who fear losing what they have built after leaving everything behind for a future in freedom.
"I am devastated," the woman expressed, visibly affected. "Just as I am devastated, I know there are thousands of families here who are devastated," she added.
The mother explained that her son, Yaugel Rivera Marrero, is a hardworking young man, trained as an electrician. “That boy has done nothing but work. He would come home and collapse on the floor, unable to even speak from the exhaustion he brought home,” she recounted. “You can throw him anywhere, everyone who knows him knows that he is a good kid who has never had any problems.”
The woman also expressed her fear that her son would be deported to Cuba, where she worries he would end up in prison. “Now they’re sending him back there, and he’ll end up in jail if he arrives in Cuba because of a regime,” she said between sobs. “Here we are almost the same as in Cuba; if we don’t raise our voices and go out to the streets to fight for our children, who will do it?”
She also recalled that she has worked intensely since her arrival in the United States: “I personally arrived and had three jobs, sleeping only 45 minutes. Everyone who worked with me knows how hard I worked to support my family and have my son here with me.”
In his message, he also called for action from the Cuban exile community: "Nobody in the system here cares about what is happening in the people of Cuba, nor in Nicaragua, nor in Venezuela... Everyone needs to raise their voice because we cannot allow ourselves to be crushed."
The video generated a wave of empathy among Cubans who are experiencing similar situations or fear being next. "That breaks the soul. The immigration system in this country is destroying the mental health of immigrants," commented one user. Another wrote: "I am crying with you, sister. May God have mercy on our children."
"This mother is not alone. Many of us are in the same situation and we need to come together. We can’t keep silent," expressed another internet user. There were also those who questioned current policies: "We work so hard in this country and this is how we're paid. Where are human rights now?"
"I hurt to see her like this. It's clear that she is a mother who has fought and sacrificed," commented a woman. Another user said, "Let's not forget that many of us are here for the same reason: seeking freedom. We cannot look the other way." "This country was built by immigrants and now they treat us like criminals," pointed out a Cuban resident in Hialeah.
"We have to take to the streets. If we don't protest, they will silence us one by one," someone else asserted. "I'm in the same situation. My son has an ICE appointment next week, and I can't sleep," wrote another affected mother.
The case adds to a series of recent detentions of Cuban immigrants involved in active legal processes. Young people like Randy Mesa, Ariel Lara, and Reinier Feijó have been arrested after attending immigration appointments, even in the company of lawyers or family members. Many of them have I-220A forms or parole status, but are facing deportation orders based on technical interpretations of the law.
Human rights organizations and immigration lawyers have warned of a growing pattern of arrests following the closure of cases in immigration courts, characterizing ICE's tactic as "legal, but deeply questionable." In some instances, agents wait in the hallways of courthouses to detain migrants just as judges dismiss their applications. Stories like that of Janet Correa and Julio David Pérez have highlighted this practice.
“We left the place where we were silenced, where we couldn’t speak, and arrived in this country to work. This country has been built thanks to us, the immigrants,” insisted the Cuban mother. “God must put His hand in this as well.”
As reports of detentions increase and families are anxious about possible deportations, news released this Monday brought some relief to thousands of migrants: the United States government announced that it has resumed processing applications for beneficiaries of humanitarian parole, in compliance with a court order issued by a federal court in Massachusetts.
This includes, in the case of Cubans, the residency applications submitted under the Adjustment Act, provided they have met the requirement of one year and one day in the country. The decision ends an administrative pause that had left those waiting to advance toward their legal status in limbo.
The confirmation was released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which clarified that the processes will continue to be reviewed individually, but they may be resolved again.
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