A man fights for a new life in Cuba after the US expels him in an immigration crackdown

After five years building a life in the U.S., Liexer De La Cruz was blindsided in a Miami courtroom and chose to return to Cuba — his wife quietly booked the seat next to him on the same flight.
Their migration was a harrowing three-month odyssey through nearly a dozen countries, including walking the dangerous Darien Gap, after leaving Cuba in 2019 for better opportunities.
Back in rural Las Minas they face daily struggles — frequent power and water outages, fuel shortages and high food prices — but find small comforts in a new dog, chickens and community as he drives a solar-powered tricycle taxi.