Miami businessman Wayne DeMario, who voted for Donald Trump twice, ended up purchasing an apartment in Cancun, Mexico, so he could be with his Cuban fiancée, Yamile Alcantu, who was deported by U.S. immigration authorities.
Now, after decades of supporting the Republican Party, he also changed his vote: in Tuesday's midterm elections, he supported the Democrats.
DeMario, 57 years old, shared his experience in an interview published by the British newspaper The Times, where he acknowledged that the immigration policies he supported ultimately had a direct impact on his own family.
The owner of the musical instrument store Wayne's Guitar World, in the Miami area, explained that he had supported Trump because he was hoping for stricter immigration policies, but he never imagined that his partner of 20 years would end up being deported from the country.
His disillusionment also had electoral consequences. For the first time in decades, DeMario voted for a , who was defeated by the Republican Byron Donalds in the Florida gubernatorial election, and he asserted that he supported that party in all the contests on his ballot.
From Miami to Cancun to be with their partner
Yamile Alcantu arrived in the United States from Cuba in 2000 through the Visa Lottery program and built her life in Miami over approximately 25 years.
However, a traffic stop that took place in 2008, during which three Xanax pills were found in her bag, led to a migration process that ended with a deportation order.
For years, the Cuban woman attended periodic appointments with immigration authorities without being detained. That situation changed in June 2025, when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested her during one of those checks.
The Department of Homeland Security included her among the immigrants it categorizes as "the worst of the worst," citing drug-related records. DeMario, for his part, denies that his fiancée is a dangerous criminal.
After spending several months in custody, Alcantu was deported to Mexico, a country where she had not previously resided.
To avoid continuing to be apart from her, DeMario decided to buy an apartment in Cancún, where they could both meet.
The businessman claimed that he had spent his entire life savings trying to prevent his deportation, in addition to organizing a fundraising campaign to cover legal expenses.
In October, he had already publicly expressed his regret for having voted for Trump after learning about Yamile's expulsion.
In his new interview, he said that what happened completely changed his perception of the country where he had built his life and his business.
"I don't believe the American dream exists. It's now an American nightmare," he stated.
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