A Cuban migrant in Guyana sought help on social media this Monday after reporting that he was evicted from the rental property, lost the money he paid to the landlord, and was locked inside the property, unable to leave on his own.
The affected individual, identified on Facebook with the username Nevyh, shared a video in which he recounts that he had been trapped in the building for over 24 hours, sleeping on the floor and surviving thanks to the food that some neighbors brought him.
"It's been more than twenty-four hours since the gentleman evicted me from the rental. I had to sleep on the floor last night," he reported.
According to his testimony, the owner of the house, identified as Christopher, took all his belongings, took back the keys, and left the place without returning the money he had paid for the deposit and rent.
The Cuban claims to have lost 90,000 Guyanese dollars related to the deposit and 52,000 Guyanese dollars from the recently paid rent, a total amount equivalent to about 650 US dollars.
"The man does not want to return my money. He is not currently here; he took the car and left, and has not returned," she reported.
The situation is escalating because, as he explained, he also cannot leave the property. "I haven't been able to go outside because the gate is locked," he stated.
The migrant said that he avoided asking for help from the neighbors to prevent involving them in a conflict with the owner.
In the absence of alternatives, he used the video to ask for support from the Cuban community.
"If anyone knows of any rental in Coverden, Leonora, or anywhere else, and knows someone with a small truck to help move my belongings, I would appreciate it."
He explained that friends had lent him money to rent another place, so he only needed to find a new place to move to.
Report of abuse against Cuban migrants
The case is part of a series of videos published by the affected individual on Sunday. In one of the recordings, the owner justified the eviction by claiming that the tenant had not paid the water and electricity bills. The Cuban responded by showing bank receipts which, he stated, confirm those payments.
He also reported that the landlord threw his ebbó to the ground, a ritual object of Afro-Cuban religion, an act he described as one of the most impactful actions during the conflict.
In addition, he accused the owner of taking advantage of the vulnerability of many Cuban migrants. "He is a scammer who pretends to be a good person. He exploits the fact that Cubans are undocumented," he stated.
At the end of his testimony, he issued a warning to those planning to emigrate to Guyana. "We also need to talk about the bad things in Guyana, which outweigh the good. This is how we, as immigrants, are treated in Guyana."
An increasingly vulnerable community
The case again highlights the vulnerability faced by many Cubans living in Guyana.
In recent years, thousands of citizens from the island have moved to that country, drawn by the economic boom fueled by the oil industry. However, many remain with precarious immigration status, making it difficult for them to assert their rights in cases of labor or housing disputes.
In recent weeks, other incidents reflecting this reality have also been reported. On July 23, a fire in Georgetown left around 40 Cubans homeless who were living in a building in the Lacytown neighborhood. Months earlier, Guyanese authorities intervened in a property on Charlotte Street where 77 Cuban citizens were residing during an investigation for alleged human trafficking.
The migrant concluded his complaint with a call to other compatriots to take extra precautions before renting a home: "The man kept both the deposit money and the rent money. I hope that what happened to me doesn't happen to them."
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