A Cuban who emigrated in 2014 and experienced the uncertainty of migration firsthand posted a video on TikTok that resonated with thousands: her message directly addresses those who, having gone through the same situation, now laugh at the fears of other immigrants.
@soyanitarodriguez recorded the clip, and she held nothing back. In just 48 seconds, she recounted her own journey: leaving Cuba, a month in Ecuador, six months in Panama—where she was robbed and had to apply for asylum to be able to work—and finally arriving in the United States, where she also faced the distress of dealing with paperwork and the distance from her mother, her child, and her entire family.
“I just don’t understand how someone who was once an immigrant can mock fear,” she says in the video with a calmness that carries more weight than any shout.
La experiencia migratoria de muchos cubanos en Estados Unidos sigue marcada por la incertidumbre y los cambios en las políticas. Mantente informado sobre todo lo que afecta a la comunidad inmigrante en nuestra sección de
And concludes: “I will never understand how one person's pain can become another's reason to laugh.”
The community responded strongly. The phrase "there's no worse wedge than one made of the same wood" appeared in at least three different comments, as if everyone had been waiting for someone to say it out loud.
One follower was more direct and pointed out that "it’s the same Cubans" who mock. The creator did not deny it: "If I’m watching them, my friend," she replied.
Another lengthy and passionate comment targeted those who acquired citizenship or a license without studying and yet still feel entitled to judge others, with a phrase that resonated: "A piece of paper doesn’t make the difference; what makes the difference is the human element."
@soyanitarodriguez picked up the challenge and replied: "A paper can change your status, but it shouldn't change your humanity. No one is better than anyone else, especially when many of us know how difficult it can be to start from scratch."
There was even room for humor. Someone proposed to her in the comments to avoid deportation, and she responded without losing her smile: "I'm married, my dear, don't worry, and have faith that nothing will happen."
The debate sparked by this video is not new, but it remains urgent. The singer Aymée Nuviola posted a similar message this week calling for "mercy and empathy" regarding deportations and recalling her own experience crossing from Mexico.
Earlier, in July 2025, a Cuban youtuber lashed out at compatriots asking for the deportation of other migrants, and a Cuban police officer in the U.S. exploded against legal residents who mock those with parole or I-220A. Even a Mexican tiktoker sparked debate last December by pointing out that several Cubans were upset about immigration measures because they previously laughed at other undocumented individuals.
The video from @soyanitarodriguez had, at the time of the report, 17,400 views and 637 likes, but what matters more than the numbers is the question she left open in the comments: "Do you think we are losing empathy as a society?".
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