Leidys Milanés Maya, a 29-year-old from Camagüey, has been missing for over three months in Mexico, a country to which she was deported from the United States.
Her mother, Misleidis Maya Rabí, made an urgent call on Monday through the platforms "Cubans in the World" and "Nio reporting a crime" for anyone with information about her daughter's whereabouts to contact her confidentially.
According to the testimony of her mother shared on social media, Leidys was deported from the United States to Mexico in February 2026.
After several months without communication, the family managed to briefly reconnect, but the last conversation took place on April 2, when the young woman reported that she was heading to Cancun, Quintana Roo.
"Since that moment, the family has not heard any news about their whereabouts, which keeps their loved ones deeply worried," stated the publication from "Nio reportando un crimen."
Since that date until this Tuesday, more than three and a half months have passed without the family receiving any sign of life.
The family requested that anyone in Mexico, especially in Cancun or the surrounding areas, who knows the whereabouts of Leidys, contact them via private message through the platforms sharing the notice.
"All information will be treated with absolute confidentiality," both platforms assured.
The search poster includes three photographs of Leidys Milanés Maya at different times and has been widely shared on Facebook and Instagram since Monday.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Leidys Milanés Maya can send a private message to the "Cubans in the World" or "Nio reporting a crime" platforms on Facebook and Instagram.
The Dangerous Limbo of Cubans Deported to Mexico
Leidys' case is not isolated. It is part of a humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of Cubans deported from the United States to Mexico, who find themselves trapped in a situation with no exit: Cuba does not accept them back, they cannot return to the U.S., and they lack legal status to reside or work in Mexican territory.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch published on May 27, 2026, titled "They Leave Us Here to Die," the Trump administration deported nearly 13,000 people to Mexico between January 20, 2025, and March 9, 2026, including 4,353 Cubans, more than any other nationality.
Activists estimate that around 800 Cubans remain stranded in Tapachula, Chiapas, and approximately 3,000 in Villahermosa, Tabasco, although the total number could exceed 6,000.
Many of them try to move to tourist cities like Cancun in search of informal work, but the state of Quintana Roo lacks specialized shelters for this population, which exacerbates their vulnerability.
The same HRW report documents that deported Cubans are frequent victims of extortion, kidnapping, forced recruitment by cartels, and human trafficking.
Josué Leal, who manages a shelter in Villahermosa, summarized it bluntly: "Migrants are the merchandise of organized crime," because criminal groups know that they have relatives in the United States who are able to send money.
Other Cubans missing in Mexico
In April 2026, Yarissel Díaz Arcia, 19 years old, was reported missing in Tapachula, Chiapas, according to the official bulletin from the State Commission for the Search of Persons in that state.
A year earlier, Yasmani Vega López, 36 years old, disappeared in Cancun, being one of at least six Cubans who have gone missing in Quintana Roo since December 2024.
In May, mothers and grandmothers of six missing Cubans traveled to Chiapas to initiate a search brigade in person due to the lack of response from the Mexican authorities.
The Cuban Migration Risk Index reached the level of “extreme” in April, with a score of 0.80, and recorded eight deaths, three disappearances, and 32 detentions in migration events during that month.
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