Arístides Fernández García, the 37-year-old Cuban deported by the United States to the Central African Republic, successfully left the capital of that country, Bangui, on Monday, after nearly three months of uncertainty, illness, and difficulties in securing his departure. His final destination is Bolivia.
"My people, now I'm really leaving. Health and blessings to everyone. Thank you for all the support you have given me up to this day," he expressed with emotion in one of the videos shared on Facebook by Yasmany Moreno, another deported Cuban who remains in Bangui.
The recordings show Arístides saying goodbye from what appears to be the hotel where they were in the Central African capital, and hours later, during a stopover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from where he planned to continue on to Istanbul, Colombia, and finally Bolivia.
From Ethiopian territory, he stated that he was received by United Nations personnel, a gesture he appreciated after the difficult months experienced in Bangui.
"When I arrived here, I was met by the people from the UN as I got off the plane. They treated me very well," he reported.
He also expressed his relief at being in a different environment: "Everything changes here. This is a quite beautiful city, it looks quite modern, the airport is quite large, and from now on, you can already see that life has started to change a bit."
His departure comes just days after videos circulated in which he appeared visibly weakened and awaiting medical attention in Bangui, while other migrants reported illnesses and cases of malaria among the deportees.
Arístides was detained by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 6, 2026, after attending a immigration hearing in Miami, despite having a pending asylum application and a valid work permit until 2030.
Over the following months, he went through several detention centers, including one known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida, where, according to his testimony, he remained for 96 days and lost about 27 kilograms.
At the end of July, he was sent to the Central African Republic, a country with which he had no connections and to which, according to his testimony, he arrived without documents or clear information about his immigration status.
"This was a long adventure. I had been in prison for seven months, almost three months here in Africa. And it has all been very overwhelming," he recalled in his farewell.
Despite the joy for his departure, the Cuban expressed concern for the companions who remain in Bangui, including Yasmany Moreno, who has continued to denounce the conditions in which migrants sent to that country live.
"I feel sorry for all my friends who are being left behind, but I know they will also be able to solve their problems, God willing," he stated.
The case is part of the deportation policy to third countries promoted by the Donald Trump administration, which has sent migrants to countries with which they have no family or migratory ties.
Although he is now looking to reach Bolivia, Arístides holds onto the hope of returning to the United States one day, where he lived for several years.
"We are not criminals; we did everything right in that country, and I believe we deserve that opportunity again in life," he stated.
Este caso forma parte de una realidad más amplia que afecta a miles de migrantes cubanos. Sigue todos los detalles sobre deportaciones, políticas migratorias y más en nuestra sección de
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