A Cuban who claims to have lived 34 years in the United States was recently deported to Mexico after being arrested for driving without a license, in a case that, according to his own testimony, resulted in the complete loss of his residency and an expedited removal to Mexican territory.
The story was captured in a video interview shared this Saturday by the user Raúl Hernández, who interviews Cuban deportees for his page Dade County Raul.
According to that testimony, the man, whose identity has not been disclosed, replied that he had lived "34 years" in the United States when asked about the time he spent in that country.
When explaining the reason for his deportation, he said that it all started with the "driving license" and acknowledged that he had had "several arrests" for driving without a license, although he insisted that in the end "it was for something trivial."
In the interview, the migrant stated that as a consequence of the process, he completely lost his immigration status.
When asked if he had residency, he replied, "Yes, I lost it, I lost everything, everything, I lost it all."
An expedited process
According to his account, the arrest and expulsion occurred quickly. He stated that he did not expect to be deported because, as he said, he never signed "any papers."
He explained that he was arrested while riding a motorcycle and, from there, was transferred through several detention centers.
“I was riding a motorcycle,” he said, before describing a route that included Miramar, Metro West, and the Krome detention center, where he was held for a week.
The interviewee specified that he was sent to Opa-locka to board the deportation flight last Wednesday.
He then recounted that he was taken to Puerto Isabela and from there to Villahermosa, where he was finally released.
An "unforgivable" situation
The Cuban also stated that 28 other Cubans arrived with him during that transfer.
He also said that, once at the border, they were not forced to get off, and he added that some chose not to do so, hoping to remain detained longer with the expectation of being released later.
"Some, like the boys who decided to stay, to give it more time and see if they release him," he commented.
In the same excerpt, he explained that other people were "turned," although he stated that he did not know the specific reasons and speculated that it could be due to pending issues in the United States, health problems, or other reasons.
The interviewer framed the case within a broader critique of Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
In the conversation, he described the situation as "unforgivable" and said that families are being separated, referring to the fact that the Cuban left behind children, grandchildren, and other connections in the United States.
Filed under: