Cuban Americas turned out in droves to support Donald Trump in 2024. Polling suggests they played a key role in Trump’s decisive Florida victory as the only major Hispanic demographic that wholeheartedly and enthusiastically supported his re-election.
So how is Trump paying them back? Well, with the same warm-hearted gratitude and kindness with which he returns all favors…. Okay, I’m kidding, as always he’s enthusiastically stabbing his supporters in the back.
As reported in The Washington Post, Cuban Americans are thoroughly miserable that under Trump’s travel ban long-awaited family reunions are being canceled. For example, Trump voter Leymi Reyes Figueredo was eagerly awaiting being reunited with her daughter and all that was needed was the approval of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
But the word soon came back: approval denied. The reason? Trump and his cronies have decided to restrict Cubans traveling to the U.S. as they consider them a potential threat to national security. Figueredo – who emigrated to the U.S. legally – is dumbfounded: “I understand why you have to protect the country [but] how is a child a terrorist?”
Her story is just one of a wave of surprise rejections causing misery for those who supported Trump and now have a serious case of buyer’s remorse. Díaz Leal, who dreamed of her son joining her in Florida summed it up: “I love Trump. But I don’t think it’s fair.”
Cubans have long had preferential treatment when it comes to immigration, with Biden granting many in the country illegally a temporary legal status. Trump stopped all that, meaning 110,000 Cubans in the U.S. now face the prospect of being sent back to Cuba.
They’re sure Trump will see sense any day now
Despite all this, Cuban Americans are still holding out hope that Trump will see sense. A lawsuit filed on behalf of families against the administration has received little traction, with the attorney Curtis Morrison disappointed at the lack of interest:
“I expected a lot of Cubans to participate in this lawsuit. At the end of the day, they were just: ‘No, we don’t want to sue Trump.’”
Instead, they’re hoping some peaceful gatherings will encourage Trump to see sense. Referencing their meet-ups in Miami, William Suárez González explained:
“We did it in good faith, hoping it softens Donald Trump’s heart. The wife of Mr. Donald Trump is an immigrant. So I don’t understand what the issue is with the immigrants who are trying to get to the country legally.”
The “issue” is that the Trump administration and its ICE stormtroopers don’t care if you’re Mexican, Venezeualen, Guatamalan or Cuban. All they see is a darker shade of skin and a Hispanic-looking name, that’s all they need to do everything in their power to stop you from making a life in the U.S.A. So good look trying to soften Trump’s heart on this, you’re going to need it.
