A Cuban couple that was deported to the islandafter living six years in Malaysia under the status of UN refugeesarrived in Monterrey, Mexico, after making the migratory journey through Central America.
Richard Sarduy and Yenisber Cardenas They have been in the capital of the state of Nuevo León since last Thursday, after beginning their journey in Nicaragua, crossing Honduras and Guatemala, arriving in Tapachula, in Chiapas, and continuing through Mexican territory to the north, according to a report from Martí News.
The Cubans lived for six years in Malaysia, with the refugee status granted by the United Nations, during which time they worked as volunteer teachers in a camp for refugee children.
However, on January 29, The government of the Asian country ordered his deportation to Cubaafter keeping them confined for two months.
“The Malaysian government made the decision to deport us. “The officials from the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were surprised, but they could not do anything,” Sarduy told Martí News.
The couple said that, upon arriving at the José Martí International Airport in Havana, the Immigration authorities allowed them to enter the country, but They were given a period of fifteen days to abandon it, without the right to repatriate.
The regime forced them to stay in relatives’ homes, without going outside, and kept them under surveillance. They stayed like this for almost two months, due to the difficulty in acquiring air tickets to Nicaragua, where they decided to travel in order to begin the journey that would take them to the Mexican border with the United States, and enter this country.
“An immigration officer, an older woman, told us that it was not convenient to leave our relatives’ houses or meet with friends. She also advised us to report it to the UNHCR office in Havana and we did so,” Sarduy said.
“We stayed at my dad’s house, the family was shocked,” said Cárdenas. Almost two months later they were able to buy tickets to Nicaragua. “It was the only option we had,” he said.
During the journey to Mexico, the couple was able to avoid the setbacks and difficulties that migrants commonly face, thanks to UNHCR refugee documentation.
Upon arrival in Tapachula, they had to make a mandatory stop of several days, so that Cárdenas could recover from the injuries he suffered to his feet from the long walks. They also faced several checkpoints on the trip to Mexico City, but finally managed to reach Monterrey without problems.
The final goal of the marriage is Matamoros, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which borders Brownsville, in Texas, according to Sarduy told the media outlet.
Both arrived in Mexico in a context of tightening immigration policies, after the Joe Biden’s administration would establish zero tolerance for foreigners who cross the border illegallywhich would prevent them from obtaining political asylum in the United States.
“If people cross the border illegally they can be immediately sent back to Mexico because the number that is arriving is greater than what was established in the presidential proclamation issued in recent days,” said the lawyer specializing in immigration issues and based in Miami, Alejandro Sánchez, interviewed by Martí News.
In the case of Sarduy and Cárdenas, the jurist specified, “they could qualify as a cause for exception, but they could also be asked if on the way to Mexico they requested additional protection in some of the countries through which they transited and the US agents could then activate the prohibition of having the right to asylum.”
