Yerlín Pérez Faces Heartache Over Migration Status, Fears Never Seeing Her Sick Father Again

Cuban actress Yerlín Pérez has emotionally revealed her inability to travel back to Cuba due to her migration status in the United States, living with the constant fear that she may never see her ailing father again, who is seriously ill in Havana.

This candid admission was made during an unfiltered conversation on the YouTube channel Familia Cubana TV, where she joined fellow actors Lieter Ledesma, Rachel Cruz, and Yasbell Rodríguez.

"My father has a terminal illness. I live with that fear... the fear that one day I won't see him again," Yerlín expressed, visibly moved. Although she clarified that no one has explicitly banned her from returning to the Island, she explained that her legal situation prevents her from doing so without risking being unable to leave again. "It's a matter of status. I would go for my dad, but with the terrible fear that they might not let me leave afterward," she admitted.

The actress, who emigrated four years ago, also discussed the emotional burden of leaving family behind. Her 71-year-old mother resides in Remedios, Villa Clara, while her 72-year-old father remains in Havana. "Perhaps my mother can come. My father, I have less hope," she confessed, in one of the most poignant moments of the interview.

The Emotional Toll of Migration

Beyond her personal struggles, Yerlín shared deep reflections on migration, describing it as carrying a backpack filled with memories, nostalgia, and pain. "I put everything in there: the people I love, the streets, the smells, even the little rag from Coppelia. It weighs so much that I have to step hard to leave footprints," she said, using a metaphor that captures the essence of many Cubans living abroad.

During the discussion, she also addressed the criticism she's received on social media since arriving in Miami, including derogatory comments for temporarily pursuing a family culinary business.

On this matter, Yerlín was firm, reminding that she never solely relied on acting for a living in Cuba and, like many artists, worked in restaurants and other jobs to make ends meet. "If I had to live off the money from a soap opera, I'd starve," she stated.

Despite online hostility, she expressed gratitude for the affection from the Cuban audience, both on the Island and abroad, and for the new opportunities she's found in the United States.

Currently, she juggles comedy, theater, and dramatic projects, preparing to take the stage in Miami with the play Fresa y Chocolate, a classic of Cuban theater adapted into a new version.

Yerlín did not shy away from sensitive topics. She spoke on censorship, her opposition to the Cuban political system, and her decision not to raise her son in a country where she didn't want him to experience repression. "I miss Cuba, but not that Cuba. I miss my life, my history, not the dictatorship," she expressed clearly.

The actress emphasized that although she has built a new life outside the country, Cuba remains an open wound. A wound that aches more today due to the distance, her father's illness, and a migration reality that keeps countless Cuban families separated, torn between love and legalities.