Cuban Migrant Rebuilds Life in Homeland After Sudden Departure Order in U.S. Immigration Crackdown

When Liexer De La Cruz stepped inside a federal courtroom in Miami, he anticipated a standard immigration hearing to advance his bid for permanent legal residency. Instead, the proceeding abruptly ended five years of building a future in the United States, leaving him mere seconds to choose between agreeing to return to Cuba or facing the immediate threat of deportation.

The high-stakes choice unfolded on Jan. 9 without giving De La Cruz an opportunity to consult his wife and sister, who were waiting anxiously outside the courtroom doors. After half a decade of steady labor, community integration, and adherence to administrative check-ins, his journey through the American legal system arrived at an unyielding dead end.

His experience illustrates the sharpening shift in U.S. immigration policy under the second Trump administration, which has expanded enforcement measures and curtailed avenues that previously shielded Cuban arrivals. For decades, migrants fleeing the island enjoyed a relatively secure path to permanent residency under the historic Cuban Adjustment Act, yet current administrative enforcement has increasingly subjected them to expulsion.

A central issue in this heightened vulnerability is the legal classification granted to arriving migrants. According to data from ReliefWeb, more than 500,000 Cubans have been released into the country with an I-220A form, an Order of Release on Recognizance. As federal courts continue to dispute whether this specific administrative release qualifies recipients for status adjustments under the Cuban Adjustment Act, tens of thousands of individuals remain trapped in deep legal uncertainty.

De La Cruz’s journey to the United States began after an arduous migration through nearly a dozen nations, traversing terrain by automobile, on foot, by bus, and aboard boats. He and his wife ultimately crossed the southern border into Texas in August 2021, receiving the standard release forms that they believed would provide a structured pathway toward securing green cards.

Upon crossing the border, the emotional weight of reaching American soil was overwhelming. De La Cruz immediately reached out to his aunt by telephone to announce his arrival, breaking down in tears as they shared the relief of what appeared to be the successful conclusion of an exhausting trek.

Settling in South Florida near extended family, the couple quickly set out to establish financial stability. His wife found work as a commercial cook, while De La Cruz trained and became a certified electrician. His trade took him across the nation on job assignments, traveling as far afield as Nebraska and Kentucky.

The income generated in the United States provided a lifeline for his two daughters who remained in Cuba, allowing him to purchase clothing, shoes, and basic necessities that were otherwise inaccessible. His ultimate objective was to legally bring his two daughters and his wife’s daughter, all teenagers, to live with them in the U.S., where they could escape persistent utility outages and secure consistent access to food, water, and electricity.

That long-term vision dissolved during the brief courtroom exchange in Miami. When pressed by the presiding judge to make a definitive election regarding his status, De La Cruz accepted a return to Cuba rather than endure detention and an involuntary removal. When he exited the courtroom, his wife and sister understood the outcome immediately merely by reading the expression on his face.

Back in his native Las Minas, a rural community situated roughly 30 minutes from Havana, De La Cruz has been forced to adapt to the life he once fled. As a boy, he roamed the countryside fishing for tilapia, hunting birds, and scaling trees, surviving a severe accident at age 16 when a 50-foot fall from a mango tree fractured his spine.

Although he fully recovered and completed vocational training in industrial equipment repair, finding a sustainable livelihood in Cuba proved elusive. He initially worked in a manufacturing facility producing PVC pipes to increase his earnings before transitioning to work as a paramedic. While he found medical work fulfilling, the monthly wage amounted to just $24, prompting him to leave healthcare to operate a taxi.

By age 34, persistent economic deterioration, systemic collapses in healthcare, and lengthy lines for basic vehicle fuel drove him to look beyond Cuba's borders. Recognizing the widespread desire among his compatriots to seek opportunity in the United States through perseverance and hard work, he resolved to seek economic security abroad.

In late 2019, De La Cruz and his wife departed Cuba, attempting to establish residency in South American countries including Suriname, Guyana, and Brazil before ultimately pursuing their journey toward the United States border.

Now back in Havana province, De La Cruz spends his days operating a passenger tricycle for local customers between Campo Florido and Las Minas, raising chickens at his residence, and reconnecting with neighbors. While he preserves memories of his time in the United States—including family milestones and snapshots from his years abroad—he must now navigate the severe daily shortages of the Cuban economy he spent years trying to escape.