Cuban Anselmo García arrived in Yucatán, Mexico, with a contract to work as a singing and dance teacher and the hope of starting a new life far from the island. Today, he claims that he has lost his career, works as a construction worker to survive, and has been unable to regularize his immigration status for months because his passport is being held by his ex-partner.
"I was ruined," he stated in an interview with the media ECO Yucatán.
According to his testimony, the relationship he had with a woman identified as Claudia V. C. ended in an environment of violence and threats. García claims to have recorded several episodes, including one in which a woman can be heard saying: "You turn me on, and I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you," while he responds: "It's my phone, let go of me."
Shortly after, when he was trying to leave the residence, he was arrested following a report of alleged sexual assault against the daughter of his then-partner.
The Cuban was transferred to the Attorney General's Office of the State of Yucatán and admitted to the Social Reintegration Center. However, he regained his freedom four days later, after a judge declared his detention illegal, stating that there were not enough grounds to continue the criminal proceedings.
García claims that the complaint was fabricated and attributes responsibility to his ex-partner and a man identified as Rodolfo Adán O. A., whom he describes as a "pseudo-lawyer," for having instigated the accusation.
Without a passport and unable to regularize their status
After regaining his freedom, the Cuban asserts that he has not been able to recover his belongings. His main concern is his passport, which, he claims, is still in the possession of his ex-partner.
The lack of the document prevents him from regularizing his immigration status in Mexico and returning to practice the profession for which he emigrated.
According to Mexican legislation, the retention of a partner's passport may constitute a case of economic violence and could lead to legal actions before the Public Prosecutor's Office.
García reported that he has a complaint filed with the Attorney General's Office of the State of Yucatán, registered under the folio FGE/CJM/CL.143/2025, with the aim of recovering the document.
"I can't see my daughter."
The Cuban also claims that, after his detention, the Mexican authorities did not notify the Cuban Embassy about the case, which he asserts violates the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
While trying to resolve his legal situation, he claims to have been the victim of a smear campaign that has closed job opportunities for him and forced him to work in construction to make ends meet.
He also reported that a few weeks ago he was attacked with a knife by several individuals while working at a concert, although the assailants managed to escape.
The inability to recover her passport also has a profound impact on her family. Her daughter remains in Cuba following the death of her mother and, as she explains, she cannot travel to reunite with her or take charge of her situation.
As of April 1, 2025, Cuban authorities require all citizens to enter the country with a valid Cuban passport, which further exacerbates their situation.
For García, his case also reflects the challenges faced by many Cuban migrants in Yucatán, where one of the largest communities of Cubans in Mexico resides. Among the obstacles he mentions are difficulties in regularizing their status, lack of consular support, and challenges in accessing justice.
With a question, summarize the experience that he claims to have lived since his arrival in the country:
"And what if the story were reversed? What would happen?"
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