A young Cuban woman who reported having been physically mistreated by Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was deported to Cuba this Thursday.
Univisión Noticias confirmed that Laritza López Rodríguez, 25 years old, who was detained on May 2 after crossing the border between Mexico and the United States in Texas, is now in Cuban territory.
Her fiancé, Gerdys López, claims that the young woman was deported to Cuba, despite still recovering from the surgeries she had to undergo following the violent arrest she experienced while crossing the border.
Laritza had previously reported that agents from the Border Patrol pushed her violently, causing a fracture in her left leg that required at least two surgical interventions while she was imprisoned at the Karnes Migrant Center in Texas.
"I didn't hear anything from her until this afternoon, when she called me and said she had been deported to Cuba," Gerdys said sadly on Thursday night. "She couldn't do the therapies or anything the doctor had recommended. She arrived on the island and doesn't even have the medical papers," the Cuban confirmed.
"She needs physical therapy and things that were not provided to her at that migrant center. She requires medical attention because she cannot walk properly, and she was sent to a country where there are no medications or facilities for rehabilitation therapies, and the conditions are not favorable," Gerdys said.
Despite her health condition, Laritza was included in the seventh deportation flight of 2025 from U.S. territory to Havana, which carried a total of 118 Cubans.
The group consisted of 96 men and 22 women. Three of the returnees were taken to criminal investigation institutions for allegedly being linked to crimes committed prior to leaving Cuba.
There was a previous attempt at deportation
Gerdys López reported that, in an initial attempt at deportation, even with "her leg full of metal," Laritza was transferred for over 16 hours to a center in Louisiana, where she was supposedly set to board the repatriation flight. The doctor who attended to her warned that she was not fit to travel and she was returned to Texas.
However, ICE remained steadfast in the decision to repatriate the young woman who was subject to a deportation order and a negative result in the credible fear interview.
The case of Laritza gained notoriety after her statements to the media, in which she accused immigration officers of dragging her along the floor while minimizing her pain. Her testimony was supported by her partner, who stated that the officers “ignored her pleas” and treated her with “brutal force.”
In an official statement, ICE confirmed that López was in custody awaiting his deportation, although they refrained from commenting on his medical history, citing privacy restrictions.
Deportation is occurring at a time when the Donald Trump administration has tightened immigration policies. The elimination of humanitarian parole, the cancellation of the CBP One system, and the end of the "catch and release" policy have left thousands of Cuban migrants trapped in legal limbo and on the verge of repatriation.
Data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicate that over 42,000 Cubans are under final deportation orders in the U.S., and more than 185,000 individuals have been repatriated so far in 2025.
The Cuban regime receives repatriation flights, despite the diplomatic relations between both governments remaining frozen.
Laritza López, like many others, returns to an island that does not always guarantee rights or access to adequate healthcare, amidst a context of social crisis and growing repression.
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