A video recorded in 2022 and published last Sunday on TikTok shows a group of Cuban rafters adrift in the Florida Straits during their second day at sea, unsure of their exact destination. The clip, shared by the user @guapoyfajao, resurfaced four years after it was filmed and generated a new wave of reactions among the Cuban exile community.
In the 46 seconds that the recording lasts, one of the men speaks with a mix of anguish and determination. “Gentlemen, we are already here. This is the second day of our shipwreck, and we’re headed to who knows where,” he says in front of the camera, with the open sea in the background and the faces of his companions visible behind him.
The most heartbreaking moment comes when the protagonist explains why he is recording: "This is in case something happens to us... Mom, I love you, take care of the child, all the kids we have out there. I tried for you."
Despite the evident fear, the man concludes the video with a statement of determination: "Nothing is going to happen here. It's forward, forward all the time. Let's see what happens."
According to information provided in the video comments, the journey began from Playa Rosario, in the province of Mayabeque, east of Havana. "Playa Rosario in Mayabeque 2022 and everyone is here," wrote one of the participants, confirming that all group members successfully reached U.S. soil and currently reside in the United States.
The video was posted in response to another TikTok user and has accumulated over 63,200 views in just a few days, along with thousands of reactions from Cubans who recognize in those images the risks that they themselves or their relatives faced while attempting to cross the Florida Strait.
The recording belongs to one of the most intense periods of the Cuban maritime exodus. In the fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 6,182 Cuban rafters at sea, a historic record, while in the first six months of fiscal year 2023 that number had already surpassed 6,200. In total, more than 224,000 Cubans attempted to enter the U.S. by land and sea during 2022, exceeding the combined exoduses of Mariel and the Rafters Crisis of 1994.
The journey in a raft is extremely dangerous. The Coast Guard confirmed at least 39 immigrant deaths in the eight months leading up to June 2022. Cuban balseros have previously shared images of their journeys to the United States, documenting extreme conditions of heat, thirst, and disorientation at sea.
Cuban maritime migration has not ceased. In June of this year, ten Cuban rafters arrived at Isla Mujeres, Mexico, after several days at sea, highlighting that the exodus remains ongoing four years after this group recorded their own farewell message from the Caribbean waters.
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