In retrospect, voting for Donald Trump when your husband is going through the immigration system may not have been the smartest move. In an interview with Because Miami Cuban Republican Lillian Pais opened up on her shock and betrayal as the man she helped put in the White House did exactly what he said he would do throughout his campaign:
Cuban mother and Republican voter feels “betrayed" by Trump after her husband is deported (in an Inter Miami CF jersey) — leaving her alone to care for paraplegic son and 3-year-old daughter, and struggling to keep her job without husband's primary household income… pic.twitter.com/0Y1PDoDovw
— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) May 11, 2025
Pais has been left “desperate and disillusioned” by Trump. She says, “I thought the president would deport criminals, not those with clean records. They deserved a chance.” Pais and her husband. Alian Méndez Aguilar, were separated at an immigration meeting on Apr. 25 and, despite her appealing the decision, he was rapidly deported to Cuba.
Pais has been left as the sole carer for her paraplegic son and three-year-old daughter. Her husband was the family’s primary source of income, leaving her scrabbling to continue her job while juggling childcare and medical expenses.
Reaping what you sow?
Now, it’s easy to roll your eyes at these kinds of stories and mutter an exasperated “what did you think was going to happen?!” After all, an immigrant family currently navigating the immigration system voting for the guy promising to crack down hard on immigrants as hard as he possibly can is the definition of voting against your interests.
However, we should have compassion even for the stupid and misguided. Situations like these underline that the Trump administration is not merely removing criminals and gang members from the country, it’s tearing apart families and ruining innocent children’s lives for no good reason.
And, importantly, MAGA simply doesn’t care if you voted for Trump. What they care about is the color of your skin, your accent, and your ability to speak English. You could be the biggest Trump-hat wearing cheerleader around and they’d celebrate as you’re bundled into the back of an ICE van, tossed into a filthy and overcrowded cell, and deported to who knows where.
Hopefully, the next time election season rolls around, the millions of Trump voters who are realizing all too late that the man they helped elect is on a mission to rip apart their family, destroy their livelihoods, and empty their bank accounts. But, given Republican voters’ superhuman ability to happily vote for people who hate them and want to see them suffer, we wouldn’t bet on it.
