Miguel Ángel Rosales arrived in the United States in 1971 with permanent residency, raised his whole life there, and never imagined he would end up stranded in Tapachula, Mexico, at the age of 55 after leaving Cuba. His story was featured in two interviews published on Instagram by Raúl Hernández, a young Cuban who was also deported to Mexico and manages the account "Cubano Deportado," documenting the testimonies of fellow countrymen in the same situation.
Rosales left Cuba legally with his family and obtained permanent residency upon his arrival. He only returned to the island once, in 1980, to bring out relatives who were living under the dictatorship. Decades later, he encountered a legal issue in the United States, served his sentence, and in 2021 received a pardon from the governor of his state, who reviewed the case and granted him executive clemency. Since then, he has been working, paying taxes, and complying with ICE's immigration supervision.
However, on February 27, 2026, immigration agents detained him without any new arrest. “None of that. I had my job, I was paying my taxes. Since I got out of prison, everything has been a legal process,” Rosales stated.
El caso de Miguel Ángel Rosales refleja una realidad que afecta a miles de cubanos con años de vida en EE.UU. Sigue todos los detalles sobre deportaciones, residencia permanente y políticas migratorias en nuestra sección de
The reason why they ended up in Mexico and not in Cuba is the same that affects thousands of deported Cubans: the Cuban regime refuses to accept those who left the country before 2017 or have criminal records. In light of this refusal, U.S. authorities send them to Mexico as a third destination under an unwritten agreement between both governments, the legality of which is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court since it temporarily allowed deportations to continue in September 2026.
Rosales was transported for three days by bus from the border to Tapachula, Chiapas, without having his documents, phone, or any of his belongings returned to him. "They didn't give me my belongings or my phone, nothing," he recounted.
In Tapachula, he spent four months managing his immigration situation. Due to his age, the Mexican authorities granted him a humanitarian visa instead of residency. But the wait was tough: he described the city as a place where Cubans live "almost kidnapped."
"Tapachula is really tough for Cubans. It's as if we are kidnapped there because without legal papers, you can't move around," he explained. "If you don't have money, you're going to sleep in the parks. I've seen many Cubans sleeping there."
Your case is not isolated. According to a report by Human Rights Watch published in May 2026, between January 2025 and March of that year, the United States deported 4,353 Cubans to Mexico, making them the largest national group sent to that country. Of those, 55% had prior criminal convictions, while 26% had no criminal history whatsoever. Activists estimated that around 800 Cubans remain stranded in Tapachula and nearly 3,000 in Villahermosa, Tabasco.
Other Cubans have experienced similar situations. Julio Borrell, 72 years old and having spent 46 years in Miami, was deported to Tapachula after a routine appointment with ICE. Others report being treated with utter disregard during the deportation process.
Raúl Hernández, who conducted the interviews, is himself a deported Cuban who arrived in Mexico in August 2025 after spending months detained in Miami. Through his Instagram account, he systematically documents these testimonies, becoming a reference on the crisis faced by his compatriots.
Rosales' final message was straightforward: "The advice I give you is to go to school and study. Education is the most important thing. Study so that you can get a good job and avoid getting into trouble with the law, because then you won't be able to do anything else."
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