A young Cuban identified as Rachel Vargas shared on TikTok the testimony of her forced return to Cuba from the Bahamas, describing her first days on the island as a devastating experience marked by confinement, illness, and depression.
In the video, published last Thursday under the username @rachevrgsh, Rachel candidly shares her feelings about returning to Cuba after living in the Bahamas: no one prepares you for what it feels like to return to Cuba after being abroad.
"Returning felt like a failure, like a complete setback," the young woman states. "When you're out there and see how the world works, coming back to confront this reality hurts twice as much."
Rachel describes how she spent her first days locked away, sick and unwilling to see the sun. "I felt like all the effort had gone down the drain and I was at square one again," she says in the video of just over a minute.
It was the household routine, unexpectedly, that began to lift her out of the pit. "Cleaning the house was strangely what started to pull me out of the hole," she acknowledges, along with feeling needed by her family.
In the second part of the video, Rachel takes on a more hopeful tone and delivers a direct message to other young Cubans in her situation: "I know that many young people like me feel frustrated because things didn't go right the first time."
"Returning is not the end of the world; it's a process, and only God knows His plan, even if it doesn't align with ours," she assures. The young woman also expresses gratitude for having been able to live abroad: "I am thankful that at least I experienced, lived, and proved to myself that I can be out there, and I feel that door hasn't closed, it has just paused."
The video generated a broad response among the Cuban community on social media. Some followers suggested trying to emigrate to Brazil, Uruguay, or Costa Rica as alternatives. Another user, Danni Marino Savigne, wrote: "I have a fear of returning that terrifies me, but as a visitor, and it terrifies me."
Rachel's testimony adds to a growing trend on TikTok, where deported Cubans or those forcibly returning to the island share their experiences. In March 2026, another Cuban identified as @roxynails_ciudadreal described her deportation and restart in Cuba without resources, resuming her nail business as her only option. In November 2025, @aleagaastry0 recounted her deported arrival from the United States, describing a heavy police presence at the airport.
Bahamas is one of the main deportation points for Cuban rafters. In 2025, the Caribbean country deported at least 34 Cuban rafters in just the first two months of the year, through direct flights to José Martí International Airport in Havana, as part of bilateral agreements with the Cuban regime.
"Today I am at peace with myself, I returned, I healed, and today I am ready to start over," concludes Rachel, closing the video with a message of resilience that resonated with thousands of Cubans who are facing or fear facing the same situation.
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