A Cuban woman, known on TikTok as Yessi la mulatica, shared a powerful testimony on Sunday that has struck a chord with many in the diaspora. She arrived in the United States with promises of support from family or acquaintances, only to be told within a month that she had to leave, with no money and nowhere to go.
In a video posted on her TikTok account, Yessi describes how before emigrating, she was assured not to worry about anything: "When I left Cuba, they told me this country was different, that if you worked hard, you would have everything, and not to worry because they would help me until I could stand on my own."
Initially, everything seemed to confirm those promises: "Smiles, hugs, photos. I felt like I had made the best decision of my life." However, living together gradually eroded that initial enthusiasm.
"I started to feel like I was in the way, every favor seemed to annoy them," she recounts. They pressured her to find a job immediately, even though she was still adapting and had pending paperwork. Whenever she needed to attend an appointment or take care of formalities, there was always an excuse.
The turning point came with a phrase she did not expect to hear: "You can't live here anymore." She had to leave with very little money, without a clear destination, wondering when everything had changed.
"Slowly, I understood that the dream they had told me about was not the same as the reality I was living," she reflects in the video, which garnered over 8,800 views, 340 likes, and 75 comments in less than 24 hours.
Yessi is not the first to document this experience. In March 2025, another Cuban warned on TikTok, "Don't bring anyone, look at what happened to me," describing a similar pattern of broken promises. In February 2026, a Cuban woman showed the state of her home after hosting newcomers for two months. Just days before Yessi's video, another compatriot posted, "They deceived me, I lived better in Nicaragua," after arriving in the U.S. with unfulfilled expectations.
Yessi's own history points to a broader concern. In June, she posted another video about a friend in Cuba asking her for $5,000 to emigrate, debunking the notion that those living in the U.S. "have money to spare": "From Cuba, many people think that you arrive here and dollars start falling from the sky," she said then.
The migration context exacerbates these tensions. The Trump administration suspended family reunification processes for Cuban legal permanent residents in June 2025, and border crossings plummeted from over 6,000 a month to just 105 in August 2025, increasing the pressure on those already established who must decide between helping newly arrived compatriots or protecting their own stability.
Yessi closed her video with a question that remains open for debate: "Who do you think was right, the person who arrived full of dreams or the family who promised help that they ultimately couldn't or wouldn't give?"
Understanding the Challenges of Cuban Immigrants in the U.S.
What challenges do Cuban immigrants face when arriving in the U.S.?
Cuban immigrants often face challenges such as broken promises of support, financial instability, cultural adaptation, and navigating complex immigration processes.
How has U.S. policy affected Cuban immigration?
U.S. policy changes, such as the suspension of family reunification processes, have significantly impacted Cuban immigration, reducing opportunities for legal entry and increasing pressure on existing immigrants.
Why do many Cubans believe the U.S. offers abundant financial opportunities?
Many Cubans hold the misconception that the U.S. offers abundant financial opportunities due to stories and myths about economic prosperity, which often don't align with the reality of immigrant life.