The Immigration attorney Willy Allen answered one of the most urgent questions from the Cuban community this Monday: what consequences could someone who is waiting for a U.S. visa face by appearing on the lists of the "My Signature for the Homeland" campaign, launched by the Cuban regime?

The campaign, organized by the Communist Party of Cuba on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Playa Girón, features signature books set up in workplaces, schools, and communities throughout the island.

In his weekly program on CiberCuba, Allen was straightforward: signing under government coercion should not be a determining factor for denying a visa.

"If all these things are signed, it is concerning when they go to apply for residency, for family status. It can be worrying, but I'm not that concerned. Why? Number one, these are things that are enforced by a dictatorial government. And it can always be explained," the lawyer stated.

However, Allen did identify a real and less obvious risk: the mobile phone. "Since last year, this government can, though they don’t always do it, but they can always look at your phone to see your social contacts. What you’ve posted, what you follow, what you say, what you put," he warned.

The lawyer also recalled that there are already documented cases: "There are people who have traveled to the United States and when they arrive here, they have been asked to show their phone and their contacts. This has even happened to an American citizen," he said.

About those who seek asylum in the U.S. while their family in Cuba signs the documents, Allen was emphatic: it does not affect the case. "Well, nothing. The one in the United States is you. The one who is different is you. The one signing the documents is you. The one asking for asylum is you. It's not them."

He went even further: "If your family has been forced to sign in order to work, eat, or study in Cuba, it is an example that can help you with your asylum."

The lawyer also harshly criticized the practice of the U.S. embassy in Cuba of denying visas to individuals simply for having worked in the state sector.

"The American embassy in Cuba I believe has committed many injustices. Because anyone who works in Cuba has to find a way to work for the government," she pointed out.

This criticism carries particular weight in the current context: the Department of State indefinitely suspended immigrant visas for Cubans since January 21, 2026, there are no tourist visas available for Cubans anywhere in the world, and the family reunification parole was canceled in December 2025.

"A farce"

Opponents such as José Daniel Ferrer, Lara Crofs, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, and Miryorly García described the signature campaign as a sham and urged people not to participate.

This is not the first time the regime has resorted to this mechanism: in September 2025, it organized a mass collection of signatures in support of Nicolás Maduro, with allegations of coercion in schools and entities such as the Unión Eléctrica and CUPET.

Allen concluded his analysis with a reflection on the pressure faced by those living in Cuba: "At this moment, breathing air in Cuba can have a negative impact on the American embassy. But these are things that one can explain and fight against." He added, "I am not going to impose my opinion on what someone living in the mess that is Cuba today should or shouldn't do. I will not place that pressure on anyone."

Allen also mentioned that Cuba has a deadline of approximately two weeks —which would expire around April 25— to reach some agreement with the U.S., raising hopes for potential changes in the country's internal policy.