Two Cubans sent by the United States to the Central African Republic claimed they were deported without having a criminal record and reported the circumstances under which, according to their account, they were taken to the African country.
The testimony appears this Sunday in a video published on Facebook, in which Arístides Fernández García, a Cuban who identifies himself as a holder of an I-220A, converses with another fellow countryman about the circumstances under which both claim to have been sent to the Central African Republic.
"I am the Cuban with I-220A who was brought to Africa without any background and no deportation order," Fernández stated. This is the account provided by the migrant himself regarding his immigration status at the time he was sent to the African continent.
In the video, he appears alongside another Cuban, who identified himself only as Henry and also claimed that he had no criminal record when he was transferred to the Central African Republic.
Henry reported that his departure from the United States was forced and claimed—according to his account—that during the procedure, he was the victim of acts of violence.
"They hit us, they shot us with rubber bullets... they brought us here under false pretenses," he declared.
The Cuban also described the difficulties he has faced since his arrival, including the lack of a phone and the limitations in communicating with his family.
"They put us on a bus and took us to a private airport, and from there they forcibly removed us," he stated.
During his remarks, he stated that "13 or 14 days" had passed before he was able to communicate with his family. However, moments later, Fernández claimed that Henry had been in the Central African Republic for about a week, so the exact time that had elapsed is not clear from the video itself.
Fernández explained that he was loaned a phone so that he could communicate with his family and assured that the newcomer was still very affected by what had happened.
"We already told them that we were going to support them because we are here alone, but we don't want more people here in this country," she expressed, showing concern for the fate of other Cubans who may also be deported.
The Cuban also requested that the images be shared to raise awareness of the situation of migrants relocated to third countries.
"If we do not raise our voices, they will continue to abuse [...] Gentlemen, share these videos, let's keep making noise. If not, they will keep bringing people. This is an injustice," he stated.
Fernández, 37 years old, had previously reported the conditions under which he was sent by the United States to the Central African Republic.
According to his testimony, he had a work permit valid until 2030 and was awaiting a decision on his asylum application when he was arrested after appearing before an immigration court in Miami.
The Cuban has repeatedly stated that he has no criminal record in the United States.
He is not the only Cuban who has publicly denounced his situation from Bangui.
A few days ago, Fernández and Yasmany Moreno reported that their cases had been re-evaluated by judges and that, according to their lawyers, there were encouraging signs regarding their processes.
Both have used social media to call for a review of their processes and to prevent other migrants from being sent under similar circumstances to the Central African Republic.
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