The young Cuban Yauniel Hernández Rodríguez, 37 years old, returned to Miami this Tuesday, June 10, coming from Havana completely disappointed because for the third time, his mother has been denied a visa. On this occasion, the U.S. consul in Cuba told him that he could not grant a family reunification visa due to her work as a nurse at a clinic and a polyclinic in Guanabo (Eastern Havana), and accused her, without evidence, of being or having possibly been a member of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).
Instead, he was granted a reunification visa for his 16-year-old son, who has been raised by his grandmother on the Island since his father emigrated to the United States in 2015. The only option the consul gave Yauniel Hernández to reunite with his mother is to apply for a waiver, but he refuses, insisting that processing it would imply acknowledging that his mother has been a member of the PCC, which does not match reality.
"The consul told me: 'In your mother's case, you need to request a pardon for having been a member or having participated in any affiliation with the PCC.' That's when he gave me the document," explains Yauniel Hernández in an interview granted this Wednesday to CiberCuba.
In response to the question about the basis of the U.S. consul in Havana's accusation that her mother is a member of the PCC, her answer is clear: "On nothing. It can't be based on anything because my mother never was. The only thing he asked her was: 'Where have you worked, where did you study, until what year did you work?' She replied: 'I’m retired. I retired two months ago. I was a nurse at the Mario Muñoz Polyclinic (in Guanabo).' At that point, the consul said no, because she is 'possibly a member of the Communist Party.'"
It turns out that Hernández's mother resides in Cuba but has Spanish nationality. In addition to her son, who has been an American citizen since December 2024, she also has three other siblings in the United States who have received American citizenship. She hasn't seen one of them in 25 years.
The story of Yauniel Hernández's mother is complex because this is the third time she has been denied a visa to enter the United States. The first instance was due to an invitation letter from her son, which was rejected on the grounds of being a "potential immigrant." Her second interview took place in Guyana last January, where she was told no because, with her family reunification application in process, they preferred to prioritize that route. Now she has been denied again due to suspicions of having belonged to the PCC, something she vehemently denies.
Yauniel Hernández's mother retired at the age of 61 two months ago, and for her interview at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, she brought a letter signed by her previous workplace, stating that she had not been a member of the PCC nor had she participated in public demonstrations of loyalty to the Castro regime.
In fact, a viewer from CiberCuba who identifies herself as Marisela Fernández García claims to be the head of the Department at the polyclinic where Yauniel Hernández's mother worked in Cuba. She stated in the interview that her son gave to this platform that "she never belonged to any political organization. This story is sad. A mother filled with the hope of being able to be with her son and grandchildren."
"My mother has always been a simple nurse since she was 17. She retired at 61, with a salary of 3,200 pesos in Cuba, which only affords, right now, a carton of eggs," she added in statements to CiberCuba.
He assumes that he won't ask for the offered forgiveness because it takes time, isn't free, and, moreover, he refuses to apologize for something that isn't true. His plans include selling his properties in the United States and moving to Spain with his entire family.
The tightening of consular filters by the United States Embassy in Havana is leaving dozens of Cuban families trapped in a paradox: meeting all the requirements of the family reunification program and still being rejected due to alleged ideological ties.
What happened to Yauniel Hernández has also happened to the mother of Cuban Andy Leal. She is also Spanish, and one of the requirements of the PCC is that its members do not hold dual citizenship. Her reunification visa was also denied after nine years of waiting due to suspicions of political affiliation.
In this case, the official notification cites a U.S. immigration law that prohibits granting visas to individuals who are or have been members or affiliates of totalitarian parties. However, no evidence or means to appeal the decision were offered.
In a press conference in Miami, the head of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba's Business Affairs, Mike Hammer, confirmed that the consular criteria have been tightened in Havana.
"We are strengthening U.S. laws that prevent visas from being granted to members of the Communist Party of Cuba who have held high positions or have been active members up until recent years. What we do not want to see is repressors walking the streets of South Beach, enjoying a mojito. That cannot happen; it's not fair," he explained.
Filed under: