Miami Cuban Criticizes Attitude of Some New Arrivals to the U.S.: "Fidel Taught Them That"

A Cuban woman living in Miami has sparked a heated discussion on social media after sharing her perspective on TikTok, contrasting her migration experience with that of some newly arrived Cubans in the United States. In a video uploaded by @user680074416135, she passionately defends the sacrifices made by the "historic exile" and criticizes what she perceives as a lack of respect and commitment from certain new migrants.

"I've been living in the United States for 61 years. I came in 1964 as a Cuban refugee. Back then, we didn't cross wet or through the border. We arrived by plane, with documents, because we were recognized as political exiles," she recalled.

Referring to those who emigrated between the 1960s and 1980s to escape Fidel Castro's regime, she described this group as the "historic exile." With fervor and no holds barred, she expressed her indignation over what she considers "trash" comments on social media about Cubans in the U.S., labeling them as lazy and opportunistic due to the benefits they receive upon arrival.

"Many of those who criticize now are also Cubans, but they were the ones who came dressed in olive green, as militiamen, fidelistas. And now they're here saying Cubans don't work," she said with evident irritation.

"Cubans who arrived after 2000 may not work, but those of us who came in the 60s, 70s, and 80s worked ourselves to the bone," she added. She elaborated that when they arrived, Miami was largely undeveloped. "This was just wilderness. There was no aid. The only help was working in factories with the Jews, twelve or fourteen hours a day, and then moving on to a second job," she recounted.

"We all had two jobs without knowing much English. I was 17 years old and was breaking my back in the cold," she said. She explained that many migrants had to leave the warm climate of Florida to find work in other states, often not in comfortable office settings.

This Cuban woman lived in California for 16 years, where she aided Mexican immigrants by hiding them in her home to prevent their detention by immigration authorities. "Because Cubans don't rejoice in anyone's misfortune," she stated.

"Now that people are being deported without criminal records, it hurts us. Because we know what it's like to start from scratch," she added. Critically, she noted that many of the newcomers "don't want to work, and Fidel Castro taught them that."

She questioned why young people complain and ask for government assistance when they haven't faced genuinely tough times in this country. "They haven't lived in the North, haven't felt the cold. We were 'penguins,' we trudged through the snow to get ahead."

While she acknowledged that not all new migrants arrive with a bad attitude, recognizing that some "come to study and work," she harshly criticized those who, in her view, take advantage of government aid without contributing: "They spend a check they didn't earn and then go on vacation to Cuba."

She concluded by recalling the pioneers of Miami's entrepreneurial spirit, such as the founders of stores like El Dorado and Navarro. "Those people came on boats, started a little shop, worked in the snow, and then built their business," she asserted.

"Miami wasn't handed to us. We built it, from the swamp, with effort." Her testimony stands as a passionate defense of the historic Cuban exile's legacy and a call for responsibility and respect for those who paved the way when there was no aid, only sacrifice in the United States.