A Cuban woman known on TikTok as @laura_sin_filtros shared a brief 37-second video last Saturday, revealing a sentiment many emigrants experience but rarely voice: the guilt that emerges as they begin to thrive abroad while their families remain in Cuba.
In her TikTok post, Laura explains how everyday activities — eating a meal, purchasing household items — can trigger anxiety: "You automatically think, does my family have enough to eat today over there?"
The Emotional Strain of Supporting Family from Afar
The dilemma Laura presents is not merely emotional but deeply structural: "You want to help, you want to send money, you want to solve everyone's problems, but at the same time, if you send everything there, you'll never be able to build anything for yourself here."
Laura speaks on behalf of many. "I believe a lot of emigrants live with that guilt constantly," she asserts in the video, shedding light on a tension affecting thousands of Cubans living abroad.
Economic Realities of Cuban Emigrants
This tension has concrete economic implications. According to elTOQUE, 92% of remittances that Cuba receives come from the United States. Cubans in Miami typically send about $2,165 annually to their families, through cash, phone top-ups, and goods.
The typical remittance is approximately $132, sent around ten times a year. This represents between 6% and 13% of an emigrant's total income, lower than the global average of 15%.
This economic pressure makes every personal expenditure a decision weighted with guilt: each dollar spent on oneself is a dollar not sent to Cuba, where scarcity, power outages, and years of crisis leave millions of families almost entirely dependent on what their relatives abroad can provide.
Navigating Migratory Grief
The phenomenon Laura describes is recognized in migration psychology as "migratory grief," a concept that encompasses the multiple losses emigrants experience — family, language, social networks, status — and can lead to guilt and anxiety, particularly when one's progress stands in stark contrast to the hardships faced by those left behind.
Laura is not alone in using TikTok to highlight these emotional dimensions. Last year, a Cuban mother in the United States shared similar feelings of guilt and abandonment caused by the distance from her children in Cuba. Another Cuban in Spain expressed her fears about emigrating in January, and yet another in Italy admitted to feeling out of place and trying to adapt for nine years.
These stories have resonated deeply with the Cuban community abroad, sparking discussions about the emigrant's responsibility to their family and their right to build their own lives.
Laura concludes her video with a powerful statement that serves almost as a manifesto: "Emigrating is also learning to build a life without feeling guilty for every good thing that happens to you."
Understanding the Challenges of Cuban Emigrants
What is the primary source of remittances to Cuba?
The majority of remittances to Cuba, around 92%, come from the United States.
How does economic pressure affect Cuban emigrants?
Economic pressure makes every personal expenditure a guilt-laden decision for Cuban emigrants, as money spent on themselves is money not sent to support their families in Cuba.
What is "migratory grief"?
"Migratory grief" is a psychological concept describing the multiple losses experienced by emigrants, including family, language, and social networks, which can lead to guilt and anxiety.