New Deportation Route: US Sends Cubans to Tapachula, Mexico, Not Cuba

Trump’s immigration policy has taken an unexpected turn: the United States is now deporting Cubans directly to Mexico, specifically to Tapachula on the Guatemalan border. This new strategy is converting Mexico into a forced destination for thousands of Cubans who, after years or decades on US soil, must rebuild their lives far from both Cuba and the country where they thought they had built their futures.

Tapachula: The New Deportation Destination

According to information confirmed by Chiapas state authorities, between two and three weekly flights are arriving in Tapachula with migrants deported from the United States. Eduardo Antonio Castillejos Argüello, Undersecretary of Human Mobility of the Southern Border Secretariat, explained that the city already hosts a large Cuban population forced to seek informal employment while attempting to regularize their status.

“We have a large population of Cuban nationality here in Tapachula (…) who need access to services, but above all, to employment,” the official told EFE agency.

Luis Rey García Villagrán, director of the Center for Human Dignification, estimates approximately 60,000 migrants are stranded in the area, particularly Haitians and Cubans, criticizing that no institution fully assumes responsibility for addressing the situation.

Human Stories Behind the Numbers

The Case of the Cuban Deported After 40 Years in the US

One of the most striking stories involves a Cuban who arrived in the United States at just one year old and was deported to Mexico after more than four decades living in that country. The man shared that he was a legal permanent resident but lost that status after committing a crime, which he did not specify, and had an outstanding deportation order dating back to 2000.

According to his testimony, in December 2025, he went to report to an ICE office and ended up being detained. After 66 days in detention centers, he was first transferred to Chihuahua and finally released in Tapachula, from where he managed to travel to Cancun in an attempt to rebuild his life.

Felipe Muñoz: 70-Year-Old Barber Starting Over

Another emblematic example is Felipe Muñoz, a 70-year-old Cuban barber who was also deported from the United States and decided to start from scratch in Mexico. Set up in a park in Villahermosa, Tabasco state, he offers haircuts for 50 pesos to passersby.

Wearing a white coat and using tools bought on credit that he still has from the US, Muñoz makes a living in Juarez Park, relying on more than three decades of experience as a barber.

“I am here earning an honest living, cutting hair,” he told Mexican media Tabasco Hoy.

A New Migration Pattern: Cuba → US → Mexico

This strategy represents a fundamental shift in deportation patterns. Traditionally, Cubans deported from the United States were sent directly to Cuba. Now, Mexico has become a forced intermediate destination, creating what we could call a “triple displacement” - movement from Cuba to the US, then to Mexico.

Mexico, which for years was primarily a transit country for those seeking to reach US territory, has now become a forced destination for many, amid the tightening of immigration policies since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025.

Political Context: Maximum Pressure Strategy

This new deportation route is part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy of exercising “maximum pressure” on Cuba and Cuban migrants. By deporting to Mexico instead of directly to Cuba, the United States:

1. Avoids direct negotiations with the Cuban government
2. Transfers the migration burden to Mexico
3. Creates an additional deterrent effect for future migrants
4. Complicates family reunification processes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the US deport Cubans to Mexico instead of Cuba?

This new strategy allows the United States to avoid direct negotiations with the Cuban government while transferring migration responsibility to Mexico, creating an additional deterrent effect.

How many deportation flights arrive in Tapachula weekly?

According to Chiapas authorities, between two and three weekly flights are arriving in Tapachula with migrants deported from the United States.

What options do Cubans deported to Mexico have?

Deportees can attempt to regularize their status in Mexico, seek informal employment while resolving their situation, or try to return to Cuba. Many remain stranded without clear institutional support.

How many migrants are currently stranded in Tapachula?

Luis Rey García Villagrán, director of the Center for Human Dignification, estimates approximately 60,000 migrants are stranded in the area, including Haitians and Cubans.

Conclusion: A New Migration Reality

As deportation flights continue to southern Mexico, Tapachula is becoming one of the main points where Cuban stories converge - people who, having lost their status in the United States, are trying to start anew, far from the island and also far from the country where they believed they had built their lives.

This new deportation route not only reflects the hardening of US immigration policies but also demonstrates how the Cuban migration crisis is acquiring regional dimensions that go beyond traditional bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States.

For more information about deportation cases and legal resources for Cuban migrants, consult our related articles on deportations and migration processes.