A man fights for a new life in Cuba after the US expels him in an immigration crackdown, tell me about this news in (https://www.wral.com/news/ap/06f21-a-man-fights-for-a-new-life-in-cuba-after-the-us-expels-him-in-an-immigration-crackdown/)
11-09-2026
This Associated Press report centers on Liexer De La Cruz, a Cuban immigrant who spent five years building a life in the United States before being forced to leave amid tightened immigration enforcement.After leaving Cuba in late 2019, De La Cruz and his wife undertook a grueling journey through several South and Central American countriesincluding crossing the perilous Darien Gapbefore reaching the U.S.–Mexico border in August 2021. In Florida, he became a certified electrician while his wife worked as a cook. They hoped to obtain legal permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act, but De La Cruz had entered on an I-220A release forma legal status that has left hundreds of thousands of Cubans in limbo amid shifting court interpretations and policy crackdowns.During what he expected to be a routine immigration hearing in Miami, an immigration judge presented him with an immediate ultimatum: accept voluntary departure within 120 days or face the risk of detention and deportation. Exhausted by legal instability and the grief of having lost his mother while abroad, he chose to return to Cuba. Although he initially expected his wife to stay behind to send support, she secretly purchased a ticket on his flight to return to Cuba with him.The article details the steep challenges the couple now faces back in Las Minas, a rural town near Havana. Cuba is grappling with severe economic distress, including widespread daily blackouts lasting over 24 hours, high food costs, water scarcity, and gasoline shortages. To make a living, De La Cruz purchased a solar-powered tricycle to work as a taxi driver, though charging delays and power cuts frequently interrupt his work. Despite finding comfort in caring for his animals and being back in his hometown, he describes the daily struggle of coping with the island’s worsening infrastructure, shortages, and economic hardship.