Mexico City, Mexico – Many of the Cubans deported from the US to Mexico by President Donald Trump's administration are now living in "indefinite legal limbo" and struggling financially, a new report reveals.

"They're casting us aside to die," Harold A., a 58-year-old Cuban national who was deported to Mexico in February, told Human Rights Watch.

"There's no help; we can't work because we don't have papers. They don't give us anything, nothing… How are we supposed to eat, to pay rent?"

The comment came as part of a newly-released report from HRW, which revealed the experiences of the almost 4,500 Cubans deported to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026.

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Throughout the report, HRW documented inhumane detention conditions within the US and a blatant disregard for due process rights, revealing that "most [Cubans] were removed to Mexico without documentation, money, or other personal belongings."

Mostly, however, HRW focused on the issues that Cubans faced upon arrival in Mexico, describing a "complete absence of government support" that has exposed them to food insecurity, homelessness, and violence.

According to HRW, "Mexico is effectively leaving them in an indefinite legal limbo" with no meaningful way to challenge their deportation or legalize their status in Mexico. Many also "described experiences marked by trauma."

"The third-country nationals deported to Mexico have no clear legal status in Mexico, effective access to the Mexican asylum system or to other forms of protection, or a path to permanent legal and social integration in Mexico," the report found.

Many were elderly people, often with chronic health conditions requiring medical treatment. Some were abandoned in random Mexican cities in the middle of the night.

"If you're 60, 70-years-old, why would you be sent here?" asked Mario, a 60-year-old grandfather. "They're sending [us] here to die."