Cuban YouTuber Criticizes Calls for Deporting Fellow Cubans: "You Don't Deserve to Be Called Cubans"

Yander Serra, a Cuban YouTuber known as @yanderserra, has sparked a wave of reactions on social media with a video condemning fellow Cubans who, after settling in the United States, demand the deportation of newly arrived migrants. "I'm here to make this video for all those Cubans who should never forget they once fled the same misery, the same dictatorship, the same hunger, and the same fear," Serra states at the beginning of the video, which has already garnered thousands of views and comments. "Now, because they have papers and full bellies, they dare to demand the deportation of other Cubans who are just arriving or have recently arrived. Let me be clear: you are the worst scum ever produced by exile," Serra continues.

Resilience in Exile Serra doesn't hold back, reminding those who forget their humble beginnings. "You've forgotten the tears at the airport, the chill of the first winter in America, the night shifts washing dishes and cleaning floors. The humiliations we endured, and the fear of immigration, because we all went through it. You, who once begged for an opportunity like everyone else, now want to close the doors to your own people... you don't deserve to be called Cubans."

The reactions were swift. "I'm Cuban, and this makes me ashamed, but it's true," wrote one user. "I'm embarrassed to say I'm Cuban," commented another. "Today at work, a Mexican colleague asked why Cuban Trump supporters attack those who just arrived. I felt ashamed," shared another follower. "Even my family. And the worst part is they love the current president." "The worst enemy of a Cuban without papers is another Cuban with papers," stated a user. "They forgot the hunger they endured," reminded another. "What you said is the absolute truth," wrote someone else. "Well said. They forget everything and now want others deported," added another comment summing up the sentiment of numerous similar responses.

Recent Critiques and Political Standpoints The video is part of a series of recent statements by Serra on political and migration issues. Earlier this year, he publicly criticized Cubans who voted for Donald Trump, despite having relatives stuck at the border. "So many who could vote did so for Trump, even with their mother or a family member waiting in Mexico. That's why we face the challenges we do," he said following the removal of CBP One and the return of the "Remain in Mexico" policy. Serra did not hide his indignation, declaring, "Cubans are the most malicious creatures there are." In a previous video, Serra questioned the direction of democracy in the United States. "I feel and see that Trump's potential 2025 presidency increasingly resembles less of a functional democracy and more of a textbook dictatorship, like all the authoritarian regimes we know," he stated. "We're witnessing all powers concentrated in one figure, opposition being persecuted, and public discourse being manipulated to turn lies into official truths... We've seen this in Cuba, with Ortega, with Maduro." He also criticized the cult of personality: "The Trump of 2025 doesn't govern, he imposes; he doesn't debate, he decrees; he doesn't listen, he only commands."

On July 4th, Serra shared a prayer on his Facebook profile asking for protection for the United States. "Almighty Lord, today we raise our voice and heart to You, seeking protection for this nation You gave us as a home. Deliver us, Father, from any dictator, any ruler who seeks to oppress the people, who tries to silence the truth and extinguish freedom," he wrote.

A Call for Solidarity Among Migrants Serra's discourse aligns with other voices within the exile community calling for greater empathy among migrants. Psychologist Carelis Conde questioned comparisons between different migration forms in a viral video: "Is your migration situation any less painful than mine?" she asked, denouncing comments like "those with parole are living easy" or "crossing the Darién was worse than braving the sea." Additionally, Cuban Roy, known on TikTok, issued a similar critique in February: "I'm ashamed of those who, as immigrants, support mass deportations. I'm ashamed of Cubans who refer to other Latinos as 'Indians' in a derogatory way. I'm ashamed of those who forgot where they come from."

Originally from Manzanillo, Granma, Serra arrived in the United States at the end of 2022 via the southern border. "And I arrived because it was time!" he wrote on Facebook, accompanied by a video of him walking alongside the border wall. From his channel "Yander te lo contó" in Cuba, he denounced the regime's repressive practices and faced harassment from State Security. He was fined 3,000 pesos for criticizing government informants on social media. In 2023, now in exile, he reported being discriminated against in a Miami store for carrying a backpack, comparing the experience to the mentality of the Cuban system: "This is becoming more like Cuba, but with Coca-Cola and food."

Through his posts, Serra has emerged as one of the most critical voices in the Cuban exile community, not only against the island's regime but also against the intolerance, forgetfulness, and lack of solidarity he observes within the migrant community itself.