A Cuban resident in the United States broke down in tears in a TikTok video to share a message that touched the hearts of thousands: "Make the most of your time and learn to love beautifully, learn to let yourself be loved and to show that you want beautifully, because time is very short."
The user @lajefa475, identified as BELLAMIAA, posted the video on May 11, in which she recounts that she has been unable to hug or kiss her husband for five months, separated from her allegedly due to a detention by U.S. immigration authorities, as indicated by the hashtags #i220a and #ice accompanying the post.
In the one minute and 37 seconds clip, the woman describes how she expressed her love: "For me, the way to show love was by preparing a nice dinner for my husband, keeping my house clean, and providing him with everything I knew he might need materially."
However, she acknowledges that her husband was asking her for something else: "Sometimes he would say to me, why don't you hug me as much? Because you're not clingy, you don't love me anymore. And I would tell him, I love you with all my heart."
The Cuban woman admits that her way of loving was learned and that she never knew how to express it differently: "My way of showing love is like this, by preparing the food you like, taking care of your needs. It's my way. That's how I was raised; I don’t know how to give beautiful love."
Today, with five months of forced separation, the regret is profound: "Today, it's been five months since I could embrace him, since I could kiss him, since I can be clingy like he wanted. You have no idea how much I regret not having done it."
The testimony is part of a wave of family separations affecting Cubans with I-220A in the United States. This form, issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allows migrants to temporarily remain in the country while their cases progress, but it does not guarantee permanent protection against deportation.
Since 2025, ICE has intensified the detentions of Cubans with this document during routine appointments, even without criminal records, leading to separations that have torn apart numerous families. In 2026, the situation worsened with a ruling from the Immigration Appeals Board that closed a legal avenue many Cubans were trying to use to regularize their status.
Meanwhile, Cuba resumed the reception of deportation flights from the United States. The first flight of the year arrived on February 9, 2026 with 170 migrants on board, deepening the distress of those still awaiting a resolution to their cases.
The video by @lajefa475 adds to a long series of heartbreaking testimonies from Cuban women on TikTok that document the pain of migratory separation, but it adds an intimate dimension that sets it apart: beyond the legal or political aspects, it is a reflection on love, its languages, and the time that does not return.
"If you have the chance to do it, don't let it slip away because time is something that doesn't come back. I really wish I could turn back time," she concluded, tears in her eyes.
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