For three long years, Leymi Reyes Figueredo held onto the hope of reuniting with her daughter. In her Miami home, she lovingly prepared a room adorned with teddy bears and a small Statue of Liberty, representing the bright future she envisioned for the teenager she left behind in Cuba. However, her dreams were shattered one fateful August morning when a U.S. embassy official in Havana handed her daughter a paper with a single, heavy word: "visa denied." According to The Washington Post, the denial was due to President Donald Trump's travel ban, an executive order that restricted Cuban entry into the United States under the guise of safeguarding against terrorist threats. This policy has crushed the hopes of countless families, reopening old wounds within the Cuban community as separation once again becomes their imposed fate.
A Policy That Freezes Embraces
Months have elapsed since the Presidential Proclamation was signed, halting the family reunification processes initiated by Cuban legal residents and suspending various visa categories. The Cuban-American community, particularly in South Florida, has been hit hard. Mothers like Lianet Llanes, who spoke to Telemundo 51, have seen their optimism turn into despair. "It's like being doused with a bucket of dirty water," she said upon learning her daughter's case was put on hold.
This scenario is echoed in thousands of households, with approved applications, pending consular interviews, and a bureaucratic wall emerging just when reunification seemed near. The proclamation suspends tourist, business, study, and exchange visas (B1, B2, F, M, and J), along with several family categories not considered "immediate" relatives of U.S. citizens. Exceptions are limited to parents, spouses, and minor children of American citizens, leaving many families stuck in a migration limbo.
"How Can a Child Be a Terrorist?"
"I understand the need to protect the country," Leymi Reyes Figueredo told The Washington Post. "But how can a child be a terrorist?" Her 15-year-old daughter had hoped to join her this summer. Instead, she remains in Cuba, facing blackouts, scarcity, and isolation. Reyes Figueredo's story highlights the paradox of a policy claiming to defend national security while striking hardest at families following legal immigration channels. The State Department justified the measure by citing Cuba's lack of cooperation on security and repatriations.
"This isn't about politics; it's about families just wanting to be together," said a participant at a protest on August 31 at Miami's Versailles restaurant, where dozens of Cubans demanded an end to the Travel Ban.
A Divided Exile
The ban has also caused a rift within the Cuban-American community. According to The Washington Post, many new exiles feel betrayed by an administration that promised to prioritize legal immigration from Cuba. Arely Díaz Leal from Tampa voted for Trump, believing he would support family reunification. She has been waiting almost a decade to bring her adult son from the island. "I love Trump," she told the American newspaper. "But I don't think it's fair."
This contradiction mirrors the dilemma of a community historically allied with the Republican Party, now torn by policies that punish their own. Recent protests in Miami, organized by the Residents and Citizens United group, have aimed to pressure the White House to remove family categories from the ban's scope. "We want to highlight a specific demand: remove families from the Travel Ban," spokesperson Edisleidys Martínez Álvarez told Diario de las Américas.
Children Growing Up Without Hugs
In Cuban homes, immigration policy has a face and a voice. Lauren Hernández Reyes, Leymi's daughter, writes to her mother from a dark room amid outages and shortages. "I feel lonely. I miss your company," she confessed in an interview. Another mother, Liudmila Gutiérrez Fundora, fears her 10-year-old daughter won't get a visa either. "She hasn't had her interview, but I'm sure they'll deny her," she said tearfully.
She and her husband, teachers residing in Broward County, hoped their years of sacrifice would reunite their family. Now, only uncertainty remains. Immigration lawyer Willy Allen, consulted by CiberCuba, labels the ban "a political punishment unrelated to national security."
A Fading Dream
The "American dream," once a beacon of prosperity for Cubans, has become yet another barrier. In Miami, protests are peaceful, signs demand respect, and demonstrators wear white as a symbol of hope. But behind each chant is a story suspended in time: children learning English without knowing if they'll ever use it, parents aging while waiting to embrace their children, and grandparents fearing they'll never meet their grandchildren.
In the heart of Little Havana, under the August heat, William Suárez González held up a banner with the photo of his wife and stepdaughter, who were also denied visas. "Mr. Trump's wife is an immigrant. I don't understand the problem with immigrants trying to enter the country legally," he told The Washington Post.
Months after the ban, the drama continues to unfold. Cuban families remain caught between political promises, suspended processes, and distance. Meanwhile, the rooms decorated for absent children remain empty, symbolizing a nation divided by borders yet united by the shared longing to be together once more.
Understanding the Impact of the U.S. Travel Ban on Cuban Families
What is the U.S. travel ban's impact on Cuban families?
The travel ban has separated families by denying visas, halting reunification processes, and causing emotional distress as loved ones are unable to join their relatives in the U.S.
Why were Cuban visas denied under Trump's travel ban?
Visas were denied as part of a policy to restrict Cuban entry, justified by the need to protect the U.S. from terrorist threats, despite affecting families who legally sought to immigrate.
Which visa categories were suspended by the travel ban?
The proclamation suspended visas for tourism, business, study, exchange, and certain family categories, excluding immediate relatives like parents, spouses, and minor children of U.S. citizens.
How has the Cuban-American community reacted to the travel ban?
The community has been divided, with some feeling betrayed by the policy. Protests have been organized to pressure the government to exclude family categories from the ban.