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Rafael Enrique Migolla, a 73-year-old Cuban who lived in Miami for more than three decades, is asking the National Migration Institute of Mexico to grant him legal residency in the country after being deported from the United States six months ago and stating that he cannot return to Cuba.
Migolla currently resides in an irregular migratory status in the Guayabal neighborhood of Villahermosa, Tabasco, in a house lent by a friend who, as he recounted to the local media Tabasco HOY, picked him up from the street.
The elderly individual arrived in Miami in 1991 and remained there until his deportation, which occurred in October 2025. In statements to Tabasco HOY, he explained that his expulsion from the United States happened because it came to light during the immigration interview that he had committed a crime in Cuba "against the government."
Their situation reflects that of many Cuban migrants who are facing a triple impossibility, unable to return to Cuba and, in many instances, not wanting to. They find themselves without legal status in Mexico and have been expelled from the United States, trapped in a migratory limbo with no apparent solution.
Villahermosa has become one of the key locations where deported or in-transit Cubans are concentrated. Recent reports indicated the presence of 3,000 stranded Cubans in that city, many of whom are homeless and lack the resources to continue their journey or regularize their situation.
Insecurity also threatens these migrants on Mexican territory. A case that shocked the community was that of a young Cuban shot and killed in a barbershop in Tecolutilla, highlighting the dangers faced by those who find themselves trapped in this situation.
Migolla, who spent more than three decades building her life in Miami, now at 73 years old, finds herself relying on the kindness of a stranger and waiting for a response from the Mexican immigration authorities that would allow her to normalize her situation and have a place to live with dignity.
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