The immigration attorney Willy Allen III humorously yet firmly dodged one of the most loaded questions in the debate on the Cuban exile in 2026: what would happen to Cuba's economy if a massive return of émigrés occurred after a potential political transition?
The question came in live during an interview with journalist Tania Costa, posed by a viewer identified as Leticia: "Has anyone considered what would happen to Cuba's economy if there were a massive return of Cubans to the country?"
Allen's response was brief and to the point: "I don't know. It's impossible to say."
When Tania Costa asked him if he would return himself, the lawyer clarified that he is not a Cuban citizen: "I am an American and Greek citizen."
But it was the anecdote about his son that most powerfully encapsulated the reality of a generation of Cuban-Americans already integrated in the United States.
Allen recounted that every time he tells his son, "Don't cry, you're Cuban," the boy responds, "I don't want to be Cuban. Being Cuban is bad."
The exchange, though casual, addresses a fundamental issue with significant political weight: the role of the diaspora in a transitional scenario on the island.
Analysts and figures from the exile community have extensively debated this issue in 2026. Carlos Rodríguez Arechavaleta stated in February that "without the diaspora, a political transition in Cuba will not be possible," emphasizing its importance in terms of human, technological, and financial capital.
Marco Rubio stated in January that there are people in the United States who "want to return to Cuba and help Cuba," presenting the return of emigrants as a potential resource for the island.
However, Allen's spontaneous response —and the anecdote about his son— illustrates that, for many Cubans already settled in the United States, returning is neither a real nor a desired option.
The immediate context of the interview is the severe migratory crisis affecting thousands of Cubans in the United States. The approvals of residence cards dropped from more than 10,000 per month in October 2024 to just 15 in January 2026, as a result of the immigration pause imposed by the Trump administration.
In that scenario, the Cuban community in the United States is more concerned about consolidating their immigration status than planning a return to the island, which is going through one of its worst economic crises, with estimates of a GDP decline of between -9.1% and -15% for 2025-2026.
Leticia's question went unanswered, but the program announced that the topic would continue: after the interview with Allen, Tania Costa would host the analyst Juan Antonio Blanco to discuss a report from Cuba Siglo XXI that claims that external aid or intervention from the United States would be the only path with real potential to lead to a free and prosperous Cuba.
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