For over two weeks, Dayanis, a young Cuban woman, endured a terrifying ordeal at the hands of a criminal gang that kidnapped her in Tapachula, Mexico. She was on a journey to reach the United States in pursuit of the "American dream." Her experience highlights the plight of Cuban migrants who face kidnappings while traversing through Mexico during the largest Cuban migration wave to the U.S. in history.
Fortunately, Dayanis's family and friends managed to gather the $10,000 ransom demanded by her captors, securing her release. After being held captive for more than 15 days, she was abandoned blindfolded in some bushes outside the city, marking the end of her nightmare. She recounted her ordeal in an exclusive interview with Diario del Sur.
The Journey to the American Dream
To embark on this perilous journey, Dayanis sold all her valuable possessions back in Cuba, including her house, furniture, and clothing, to afford a plane ticket. Her route began in Guyana, continued through Nicaragua with a supposed travel agency, and eventually led her to Tecún Umán in Guatemala with the help of "coyotes."
In Guatemala, Dayanis, along with other migrants of various nationalities, was taken to a "safe house," where they were treated like animals, sleeping on filthy mats, receiving little food, and facing increasingly hostile treatment. "The guards openly carried firearms, making any complaint a dangerous gamble," Dayanis told Diario del Sur.
A Harrowing Encounter with Organized Crime
One night, the coyotes instructed them to board rafts made from tractor tires to cross the Suchiate River into Mexico, where they were placed in a shelter. Soon, it became clear they were in the clutches of organized crime. The migrants were marked with temporary black eagle tattoos on their right arms and had their phones confiscated. They were then transported in vehicles with tinted windows to the community of Lagartero and later transferred to local taxis after revealing their intended destinations.
Dayanis arrived in Tapachula with the aid of a coyote who was part of a criminal network. Once freed, she rented a house in the Montenegro neighborhood and began working as a chef to support herself, despite facing discrimination as a migrant. She managed to find a job that paid 100 pesos a day and provided two meals while enjoying a period of relative calm for about a month.
The Kidnapping
News of a van with tinted windows and armed men circulating in Tapachula soon reached her ears, prompting her to take precautions, though none proved sufficient. "I remember it clearly; it was around 1:00 AM when they broke down the door, masked men with long guns stormed in, went straight to my room, and took me by force," she recalled.
Wearing only her pajamas, they blindfolded her, told her to stay quiet, and transported her to a ranch known as "La Gallera," where she was bound hand and foot alongside other captives. The next day, her captors handed her a phone to call her family and plead for the ransom money. She managed to remember a cousin's number and begged her to gather the $10,000 ransom.
"They threatened to cut off a hand, then a leg, and eventually kill me if the payment was delayed," she revealed. Her family reached out to friends across various countries and miraculously gathered the required sum. The kidnappers demanded more, but her family insisted they had no more money and hoped divine intervention would soften their captors' hearts.
Surviving the Ordeal
After enduring over 15 days of captivity, during which she was threatened with death if the ransom wasn't paid, Dayanis described the squalid conditions: spoiled food and at least 60 people crammed into a small space surrounded by barbed wire.
Once the ransom was paid, a captor assured her she would be released. "They tossed me out like a dog," she recounted. She walked several kilometers until a kind woman found her, offered shelter, and lent her a phone to contact her loved ones.
"I'm traumatized and didn't report them because the authorities are in collusion. I'm lucky to be alive, while many of my fellow Cubans perish without the means to pay ransoms. We give everything for a chance at a better life in the United States," Dayanis confessed, grateful to have survived the nightmare.
Understanding the Risks of Migrant Journeys
What challenges do Cuban migrants face in Mexico?
Cuban migrants encounter numerous challenges, including kidnappings by criminal gangs, poor living conditions in safe houses, and discrimination. The journey is fraught with danger and often requires paying large sums of money to ensure safe passage.
How do migrants like Dayanis manage to survive such ordeals?
Survival often hinges on the ability of family and friends to gather ransom money, as well as the kindness of strangers. Migrants must endure harsh conditions and threats, hoping to be released once the ransom is paid.
Why don't victims report their captors?
Many victims, like Dayanis, fear that authorities are in collusion with kidnappers. Reporting such crimes may expose them to further risk, as corrupt officials could be involved with criminal networks.