humanitarian words

Victoria Domínguez Guzmán, an elderly Cuban who managed to reach the United States with the help of the Parole Humanitarian in early 2024, this after more than a year of waiting, died this weekend in the city of Norfolk, Nebraska.

Domínguez’s case went viral among the Cuban and exile communities due to his agesince the old woman was able to travel to the land of freedom at 100 years of age.

According to the independent media Cubanos por el Mundo, the elderly woman died last Saturday, April 13, due to a pulmonary complication.

According to Elier Morell, one of her 13 grandchildren, to the aforementioned media, the elderly woman was receiving medical attention, but did not survive.

“His blood pressure dropped completely and he died. He left us quickly and without pain,” stated Morell, who resides in the city of Tampa after leaving the Island by raft in 2007.

The elderly woman arrived at Miami International Airport on January 20, 2024, and her arrival was celebrated by the entire family that was waiting for her in the United States, according to some of her grandchildren, the process of Parole Humanitarian took a year to complete, but they never lost hope.

The elderly woman was born in Alto Potrero, a rural community in the municipality of Vertientes, in the province of Camagüey. In her community, Victoria was known as La Gallega, as she married Spanish Adolfo Moreira, who owned a farm that was eventually confiscated by the Castro regime when Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.

The old woman also became known as La Guayabera, because she used to sell guavas in her town.

Despite his advanced age, his family assures that he had a very lucid mind, something that made them very happy, since he would be able to fully enjoy the best quality of life offered outside the Island.

During the last few years, Victoria suffered the loss of her husband and three other children on the Island, and after traveling to the United States, she left a daughter, three granddaughters and two great-grandsons in Cuba.

Her arrival was celebrated by her family, who shared a large number of videos and photographs of her being received at the Miami airport.

Likewise, they documented the old woman’s life during the last three months she lived in the land of the free. Many of these videos and images shared on her social networks show her with a big smile, surrounded by her loved ones.

In mid-January, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began using the Federal Poverty Guidelines to determine the income someone must have to be a sponsor in the humanitarian and humanitarian parole processes. of family reunification.

This guide is updated every year taking into account various factors such as constant inflation, which is why the minimum amount to take care of a migrant arriving in the US has increased.

USCIS maintains that each potential support person has unique circumstances, so they should review the financial income that sponsors provide on Form I-134A, especially assets and resources.

For this, 100% of the income levels set in the Federal Poverty Guidelines for households are used as a minimum limit, a figure that takes into account the number of people living under the same roof.

This year, the new poverty table has increased its values ​​considerably, since the inflation that has been experienced in recent months around the world has been significant.

With this, the guide clearly shows an increase in the amounts required to guarantee the effective sponsorship of a beneficiary of these programs, something that those who want to remove someone from the Island must take into account from now on.

An analysis carried out by immigration lawyer Abel Zaldivar, who shared his opinion through his YouTube channel, shows that to sponsor two people the amount required went from $19,720 (in 2023) to $20,440 during the current 2024. This represents an increase of 3.6%.

In that sense, a sponsor seeking to help four people will have to deal with an increase of $1,200, as it will go from $30,000 to $31,200 as the minimum amount. These new prices represent a challenge that many potential sponsors will have to overcome before they can get their loved ones out of Cuba.

The expert points out that this is a change that all Cubans abroad should be aware of, especially those who are about to start filing their tax returns or wish to begin a sponsorship process.

The lawyer recommends reviewing the new guidelines and considering the implications that these new amounts could have on your financial situations, as some may require the inclusion of co-sponsors in order to comply with the new USCIS requirements.

Federal poverty lines for 2024

In families/households with more than 8 people, USD 5,380 must be added for each additional person.