Related videos:
Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, known as "¡Súbelo Mayeta!", is not a journalist in the academic sense of the term: he is a social communicator who, for years, has turned his social media into a bastion against the Cuban dictatorship, receiving reports from desperate citizens, unveiling secrets of the regime, and giving a voice to those who do not have one.
For that reason, returning to Cuba could cost him his life. And today, for the first time, he is the one who .
In a lengthy and emotional message posted on Facebook, Mayeta revealed that she is facing a migratory crisis in the United States that threatens to lead to her deportation.
"There are things one would never want to share. But when you owe honesty to those who have followed you for years, and when you have made truth the non-negotiable principle of your life and profession, you also have the obligation to speak transparently about your own reality. Even when it hurts. Even when it’s embarrassing to ask," he wrote.
Mayeta arrived in the United States in 2019 on a student visa, granted specifically for her work as an opponent and independent communicator in Cuba.
He initiated the process to obtain permanent residency, but his application was denied due to the absence of a resolution regarding a immigration waiver that was never processed by the relevant authorities, which led him to immigration court.
"My salary has been modest and, despite all my efforts, I have not been able to gather the necessary resources to hire a specialized lawyer who can represent me properly in this decisive stage," he admitted.
In July, he will face his second hearing, and time is no longer on his side.
During all this time, he has worked in the restaurant sector to support himself, just like so many other immigrants who, as he himself describes, "wake up early and smile even though we are tired."
The risk of a forced return is not abstract.
On May 8th, Mayeta reported direct threats via WhatsApp from a Cuban number related to his investigation into a fatal accident in Santiago de Cuba that allegedly involved Juan Guillermo Almeida, the son of the historic commander Juan Almeida Bosque.
The message was clear: "We will knock on your door at 10:00 in the morning."
This is not the first time he has faced reprisals for his work. In February 2022, an official from the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. physically and verbally assaulted him while he was placing a paper chain on the gate of the diplomatic mission in solidarity with the minors detained following the protests of July 11.
Her influence has also transcended the screens: in October 2024, the slogan "Súbelo Mayeta" became a protest conga in Santiago de Cuba, chanted by young people who challenged the regime, which resulted in police pressure against those who spread it.
In light of her situation, Mayeta publicly reached out to the Cuban-American congress members Maria Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Carlos Giménez, as well as to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to press freedom advocacy organizations, and to anyone who may be able to provide her with legal guidance.
And he was emphatic about one thing: his personal crisis will not stop his work.
"My work in citizen reporting will remain intact, as always. The privacy of the whistleblowers will be maintained as it has been so far," he promised.
"I have been on the other side of the phone and the screen my entire professional life. Today, I find myself on the more challenging side: that of someone who needs their story to be heard as well," wrote Mayeta, summarizing in a single sentence what it means that, this time, it is he who needs someone to raise the volume for him.
Filed under: