A Cuban identified on TikTok as Anita (@anitaalvarez098) shared a video in which she recounts how her employer forbade her from traveling to Cuba to handle paperwork, just when she had, for the first time, refused to cover a work shift in order to organize the trip.
In the story she published last Friday, Anita explains that when she first arrived in the United States, she worked as a housekeeper in the mornings and was known for her unwavering willingness: she covered shifts for absent colleagues and stayed to help whenever it was necessary.
"I was one of those people who always said yes: if someone was missing, I would cover for them, and if they needed help, I would also stay, because my son was in Cuba, and I felt I had to push forward no matter what," she explained.
Her son remained on the island while she tried to stabilize herself economically and migrate to the country, a situation shared by thousands of Cuban women who emigrate leaving their children behind in the hope of reuniting with them later.
The breaking point came when Anita needed to travel to Cuba for three days to handle paperwork. That same week, her employer asked her to cover a shift. For the first time, she said no.
"I had to say no because I was sorting everything out for the trip," he recalled. His bosses' response came the next day: he couldn't travel because they were "short-staffed."
"I remember the helplessness I felt," Anita said, describing that moment as a turning point in her understanding of work and personal priorities.
The experience taught her a lesson that she now shares with those going through similar situations: newcomers who give their all in their first jobs do not always receive the same treatment in return.
"That day I understood that there is work for which you can give a hundred percent, but the next day you can be replaced," she stated.
Anita's story connects with a narrative widely shared among Cubans in the United States: that of workers who put in long hours under precarious conditions, motivated by the need to support family members back in Cuba or to reunite with them. Housekeeping is one of the first jobs that newcomers take on, precisely because it doesn't require advanced English skills or prior experience.
Traveling to Cuba from the United States also involves important immigration considerations: depending on one's status—parole, pending asylum, or permanent residency—leaving the country can impact the immigrant's immigration case, adding an extra layer of complexity to situations like the one Anita experienced.
Looking back, she does not regret her decision. "If there's one thing I would choose to do a thousand times, it's to put my son first," she concluded.
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