The Cuban Pablo Porras Hernández, known on social media as @pili_el_i220a, shared on Instagram how he experienced his appointment with Immigration in Miramar, Florida. The young man, who arrived in the United States under the I-220A immigration status and founded his own car wash business, said he went in with fear but came out with a new opportunity and greater strength than before.
"I had my appointment in Miramar and I'm not going to lie: I went in with fear, but I came out with another opportunity, with a later date and with more strength than before", he shared in his video. He added that this experience taught him a personal lesson: "Fear is not for giving up, it is to show what you are made of". He also emphasized that, despite the difficulties, he will keep moving forward because "tests do not come to stop you, they come to make you stronger".
One day before the appointment, Porras had posted another video in which he expressed his uncertainty about the possibility of being deported. “I am I-220A and this could be my last video. Tomorrow I have an appointment in Miramar and they say they are deporting all of us, but I’m not going to think that way,” he said while washing a car. In that recording, he explained that if he were to be sent back to Cuba, he could be persecuted for not believing in communism, and he confessed his biggest worry: “My daughters depend on me, and that’s what hurts me the most.” Even so, he stated that he would not hide and would continue fighting.
After the appointment, his words of relief and hope generated a significant response on social media, with hundreds of messages of support and blessings. Many users celebrated that he had received a new date and encouraged him to continue with his business. "Congratulations and thousands of blessings," "That's how you speak, brother," and "Keep earning your money honestly, that's the land of opportunities" were some of the most repeated comments.
From Cuba and other countries, there were also messages of empathy for the migrants facing the same uncertainty. "My children are I-220A. God is with you. Every day I pray for you from Cuba," wrote someone in the comments of the video.
According to information gathered in a report from last November by journalist Javier Díaz for Univisión 23 Miami, Porras has been in the United States for three years. He started working in home remodeling and, after becoming unemployed, decided to start a car washing business. Social media has become a key tool for promoting his work, and he claims to consider Miami his second home.
Stories like his reflect the resilience of many Cubans with I-220A status in the United States, who live amid prolonged processes and constant migratory uncertainty. In a previous post, the young man shared that his day begins at five in the morning, convinced that discipline and effort are the keys to getting ahead.
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