Cuban Uber Driver Faces Racist Abuse in Texas: Patience Tested to Its Limits

A Cuban Uber driver in Texas recently endured a barrage of racist and xenophobic insults from two passengers who, upon discovering he didn't speak English, began to harass him while inside the vehicle. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, was documented in videos shared on TikTok by the driver's wife. After several minutes of verbal abuse, the driver called the police and demanded the passengers leave the car.

The video clips, captured by the car's security camera, reveal one of the passengers asking in English if the driver spoke English, and then questioning his origins (“Where are you from?: Cuba”). This prompted the American passenger to unleash a series of derogatory comments: “Why are all the Cubans driving for Uber?”, “No one understands English, they all speak Spanish”, “They shouldn’t be on the road if they can’t speak our language; they can’t read our signs,” he remarked, accompanied by his wife and daughter.

Amidst the offensive remarks, the passenger insisted the driver “shouldn’t be here.” The driver, however, chose not to engage with the attacks and remained silent as he listened to the insults. Following the incident, the driver's family issued a statement: “In America, do you have to be bilingual? We didn’t know (…) We entered legally and no one required us to speak two languages.” They emphasized that not everyone has the same opportunities to learn English and that nothing justifies discrimination or offense.

Language as a Pretext?

They also highlighted that Uber allows drivers to specify their preferred language on their profiles, which in this case is listed as Spanish: “If you want an English-speaking Uber, request it from the start.” The family defended their legal entry into the country, rejected xenophobia, and pointed to Uber's language tool as an alternative for users.

From the TikTok account Mamadeazel, the driver's wife, numerous people commented in support of the client's stance: "I don’t see racism, people are right, he has to know English." However, the majority agreed that this was a clear case of unjustifiable discrimination. The situation illustrates how language barriers can be exploited as a pretext for racist aggression and reignites the debate on treatment and respect within transportation services.

Racist Attacks on Cubans

The driver endured the abuse until he reached a breaking point and contacted law enforcement, while his family urges against normalizing discrimination and encourages utilizing Uber’s language options. A similar incident took place in May in Charlotte, North Carolina, when a young Cuban Uber driver fell victim to a racially motivated violent attack in his own vehicle.

The victim, Osvaldo Rivera, recounted picking up the passenger near Providence Road. "When he got in the car, he was drunk," Rivera stated. "I noticed he was intoxicated." The passenger began questioning his background and why he was in the United States. "That shocked me because no one ever asks me that," Rivera added. Unexpectedly, the passenger became aggressive, shouted racist slurs, and physically attacked him.