Deported to Cuba, a former US resident rebuilds his life in Las Minas

Liexer De La Cruz spent five years building a life in the United States, crossing nearly a dozen countries by car, foot, bus and boat to get there. That life ended in a matter of seconds in a Miami federal courtroom on January 9, when he appeared for what he believed was a routine immigration hearing.

Instead, he was told to choose between returning to Cuba voluntarily or remaining in the United States and risking deportation at any moment. His wife and sister waited outside; he had no chance to consult them. He chose Cuba.

"I don't have a criminal record. I always stayed on the straight and narrow. Until the day I had to go to court. That was the worst day of my life," De La Cruz said from his home in Las Minas, a rural town roughly a 30-minute drive from Havana where he grew up.

Now 34, De La Cruz had left Cuba frustrated by low wages and worsening living conditions, including declining healthcare and long queues for fuel. He completed an electrician's course in the US, filed his taxes and hoped to start his own handyman business, but he did not remain in the country long enough to realise that ambition. He was given 120 days to leave. His sister and niece, who had entered the same way, were granted parole and now live in the US as residents.

Cubans have historically enjoyed preferential access to a path to US citizenship under the Cuban Adjustment Act, but they have faced increasing scrutiny under the second Trump administration. More than half a million Cubans who received the same I-220A form as De La Cruz face uncertain status while courts weigh whether they qualify under the act.

His wife, Dayanna Torres, chose to return to Cuba with him despite her legal status in the US — a decision that still moves him. The couple settled in his mother's house in Las Minas and bought a solar-powered tricycle, allowing De La Cruz to resume work as a taxi driver. A fuel shortage tied to a US energy embargo has made public transport scarce, and many Cubans depend on tricycles to get around. He also gives free rides to passengers who cannot pay.

"The change is very abrupt. Coming from the United States, a country where you can find everything," he said. Fares are harder to earn than when he last drove a taxi, and some riders ask for help rather than pay. "And I don't like leaving anyone on the street," he added.

He describes a quieter peace at home, feeding the chickens and ducks around his house, and visiting the grave of his mother, who died while he was abroad. Asked about his future, he said he would prefer to stay in Cuba — but only if conditions change.