Sofía is only 10 years old, lives in Havana with her grandmother, and dreams every day of hugging her mother in Miami. But that longing, which seemed on the verge of being fulfilled, turned into a nightmare after the implementation of a new travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump.
“President Trump, I ask you to please reconsider the family reunification of residents,” pleads little Sofía in a video posted on social media, her broken voice moving hundreds of people both on and off the Island.
Her mother, Lia Llanes, emigrated to the United States three years ago, seeking a better future for both of them. After years of sacrifice, she became a legal resident and obtained approval for a reunification visa for her daughter. Sofía was already preparing for the final interview at the embassy, even learning English with enthusiasm, until everything fell apart.
On June 5, Trump signed a proclamation that bans entry to the United States for citizens from several countries, including Cuba, under the pretext of protecting national security. But the measure excludes from the reunification process those, like Lia, who are not U.S. citizens but permanent residents.
“It was a very strong blow. She was already approved, she was getting ready…”, lamented Llanes in statements to CBS News. “Sofía was so devastated that she spent two days without speaking to anyone”.
“These restrictions are disrupting entire processes and leaving children like Sofía with broken hearts”, warns Saman Movaghassi Gonzales, an immigration attorney in Florida. “It’s very difficult to explain to them that, due to a political change, they can no longer see their parents”.
Lia, like many other Cuban mothers, does not lose hope. She says she will try to obtain citizenship as soon as possible, but she knows that this path could take at least two more years. For Sofía, that means more nights without her mother, more birthdays apart, more unanswered questions.
The story of this girl is also the story of thousands of Cuban families separated by political decisions that do not understand hugs or tears. It serves as a reminder that behind every immigration policy, there are real faces, real stories, and hearts that continue to wait.
The new regulation has created a migratory limbo for thousands of Cubans with ongoing legal processes. Marcos, for example, waited nine years to reunite with his father in the U.S. through an F2B visa. Just when he was scheduled for an interview at the embassy, Trump's proclamation halted his process. Although his visa was approved, the issuing was frozen. “These are nine years of his life that no longer make sense,” a friend of the young man stated to the newspaper El País.
On TikTok, a Cuban mother went viral by sharing through tears that she will not be able to claim her children until she obtains U.S. citizenship. “Today the worst news of my life… all because of our great president,” she wrote alongside the video that moved thousands.
And there's more. A Cuban applicant publicly reported that, after years of waiting, his visa was denied by the U.S. Embassy in Havana under the controversial Section 212(f) of the Immigration Act. “They have taken away the dream of being together with our families”, he lamented on social media.
Filed under: