The independent Cuban reporter Yosmany Mayeta Labrada visited the offices of Cuban-American congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez, and María Elvira Salazar this Friday at the Capitol in Washington D.C., where he personally delivered letters regarding his immigration process and the hearing he will soon face before the U.S. Immigration Court.
Mayeta, known for his citizen journalism from Santiago de Cuba and linked to the outlet "Kuba x Dentro," has been in a legal limbo for seven years after entering the country in 2019 with a J-1 visa related to a scholarship for his journalistic work, a status that is incompatible with the Cuban Adjustment Act without a prior change in immigration category.
Your application for permanent residence has been denied, and you have a hearing scheduled before the Immigration Court for July 2026.
The journalist has publicly stated that a deportation to Cuba would mean his immediate imprisonment due to his activism against the regime.
He was received with attention in every office, but the reception from Díaz-Balart's team stood out particularly: "I was especially struck by the interest shown by Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart's team. His Director of Communications already knew about my case because she had been following the news published in various Cuban media outlets."
This visibility is the result of a sustained support campaign on social media and in the Cuban diaspora media under the hashtags #subelomayeta and #LaNoticiaComoEs, with coverage from multiple independent outlets.
Mayeta was clear about the outcome of the meetings: "Today I didn’t receive promises, but I did receive something equally valuable: open doors, sincere attention, and the hope that my case can be heard and supported by those who have the ability to advocate for it."
The three congressmen visited —Díaz-Balart, Giménez, and Salazar— are the leading Cuban-American Republican representatives from Florida and form the core of the Cuban-American lobby in Congress, although they do not have direct power over individual immigration court decisions.
In 2026, the three lawmakers have coordinated joint actions of maximum pressure on the Cuban regime, including letters to President Trump, which gives them influence in the public visibility of cases like that of Mayeta.
The journalist thanked those who have supported him since his situation became public: "Thank you to everyone who continues to stay informed about this process, to those who have written to me, called, advised me, and kept me in their prayers. Every gesture of support reminds me that I am not alone on this journey."
The case of Mayeta highlights the contradictions faced by some Cuban journalists who arrive in the U.S. on exchange visas, finding themselves trapped in a legal limbo that the Cuban Adjustment Law does not automatically resolve.
"Hope is also built by knocking on doors and finding people willing to listen," Mayeta wrote as she concluded her account of the day.
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