On Friday, Cuban priest Castor José Álvarez Devesa was stopped at Santiago de Cuba's Antonio Maceo Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Miami. He was invited to attend the episcopal ordination of a Cuban-American. At the airport, authorities informed him he was prohibited from leaving the country.
Father Castor shared his experience through a video recorded at the airport and posted on social media. He calmly stated, "Good morning, God is love. I wanted to inform all my friends that I was at the airport to head to Miami, invited to an episcopal ordination of a Cuban-American, Monsignor Biosca. However, they informed me that I'm not allowed to leave the country. I was about to board the flight, and they stopped me."
The priest, who serves in the Modelo district of Camagüey, had planned to witness the consecration of Monsignor Emilio Biosca Agüero, a Cuban-American Capuchin Franciscan appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the new bishop of the Diocese of Venice, Florida. The ceremony is set for this Saturday at the Catholic Center of Venice.
What angered Father Castor the most was not just the travel ban but how it was executed—without any prior notice, despite his friends already purchasing the ticket. "It's disheartening that I wasn't even informed. I had to come, and my friends had already bought the ticket. I found out here that I couldn't leave my country freely," he expressed in the video.
Despite this setback, Father Castor turned to his faith, stating, "May God be with us; we trust that Christ is the Messiah. He was crucified and crowned with thorns, so we experience similar trials."
This incident is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of harassment by the regime against Father Castor. In January 2026, State Security summoned him and Father Alberto Reyes Pías for a "warning act" due to their public criticism of the government. Father Reyes reported that the goal was "to issue us a warning for our public stances against the system, which they claim could be punishable offenses."
Previously, on July 11, 2021, Father Castor was detained and beaten with a bat by police while trying to protect a 14-year-old boy during the 11J protests in Camagüey. The ordination date of Biosca symbolically aligns with the fifth anniversary of that crackdown.
The legal framework supporting such travel restrictions has also become stricter. In May 2026, the government enacted the new Migration Law—Law 171—which outlines ten reasons to deny exit permits, including vague terms like "national security" and "public interest," used at the regime's discretion against dissenting voices. Cubalex, a human rights organization, warns that these rules solidify a system of discretionary control over Cuban citizens' mobility.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights reported at least 873 violations against religious freedom in Cuba during 2025, highlighting the regime's increasing repression against the Catholic Church and other faiths.
Father Castor concluded his message at the airport with a hopeful call: "I hope one day we Cubans will have freedom on our island, and I hope it comes soon, so we can score the goal in the World Cup and be free."
Understanding Cuban Travel Restrictions
Why was Father Castor José Álvarez prohibited from leaving Cuba?
Father Castor was prevented from leaving due to the Cuban government's travel restrictions, which are often applied to silence critics and restrict dissenting voices.
What is Law 171 concerning Cuban migration?
Law 171, enacted in 2026, outlines ten reasons for denying exit permits from Cuba, including broad terms like "national security" and "public interest," allowing the government to restrict travel at its discretion.
How has the Cuban government treated religious figures like Father Castor?
The Cuban government has systematically harassed religious figures such as Father Castor, often summoning them for "warning acts" and restricting their movements due to their public criticism of the regime.