The Cuban Arístides Fernández García, 37 years old, finally arrived in Bolivia and was able to reunite with his family, after a long journey that began in the Central African Republic, a country to which he was deported by the United States at the end of July and where he remained for almost three months.
The news was confirmed by Yasmany Moreno de Armas, another one of the Cubans deported who remains in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, who shared the information in a video posted on social media.
"Thank God, Aristi has arrived in Bolivia with his sister and is now with his family," announced Moreno, who supported Fernández García during the difficult months they both spent in Africa.
Fernández García had previously communicated that he was at the airport in Bogotá, Colombia, from where he planned to take a flight to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, to complete the journey to the location where his family resides.
His journey began on Monday, October 19, when he managed to leave Bangui after nearly three months of uncertainty.
From there, he traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he stated that he was received by United Nations staff. He then continued to Istanbul, Turkey, before crossing the Atlantic on a flight of approximately 13 hours to Bogotá, which was further delayed by several hours along the way.
Noticias Telemundo reported that he was able to leave the Central African Republic with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
From a detention in Miami to a deportation to Africa
Fernández García was arrested by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 6, 2026, after attending an immigration hearing in Miami.
According to his testimony, he had a pending asylum application and a work permit valid until 2030 when he was arrested.
During the following months, he was transferred to several American detention centers, including the one known as Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, where he claimed to have stayed for 96 days. He also reported that he lost about 27 kilograms while in immigration custody.
At the end of July, he was sent to the Central African Republic, a country with which he had no family or migratory ties.
In Bangui he reported that he was without documents, struggling to leave the place where he was staying and without clear information about his legal situation.
In an interview given to Noticias Telemundo in August, he described his situation as a kind of kidnapping. "It's like a kidnapping. I still have nothing," he stated at the time.
His problems worsened in recent weeks when Yasmany Moreno released videos in which Fernández García appeared visibly weakened while waiting for medical attention. Moreno reported that several of the migrants were falling ill with malaria.
When he finally managed to leave Bangui, Fernández García expressed his gratitude for the support he received and acknowledged how difficult his experience had been.
"This has been a long adventure. I had been in prison for seven months, almost three months here in Africa. And it has all been very intense," he expressed in one of the farewell videos.
During his stopover in Ethiopia, he expressed his relief at having managed to leave the Central African Republic.
"Everything changes here. This is a pretty nice city, it looks quite modern, the airport is quite large, and from this point on, it's clear that life has already started to change a bit," he commented.
Although he was able to reunite with his family in Bolivia, Fernández García left behind other Cubans who remain in Bangui, including Moreno, with whom he shared months of uncertainty and hardship.
Before departing, he expressed his concern for those who had not yet found an alternative to leave the African continent.
"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.
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