Another MAGA supporter of Cuban origin could soon be forced to leave the country he champions.
Eliexer Márquez Duany, the Cuban rapper known as El Funky, rose to prominence as a bold voice against repression in his homeland. Today, the man who sang for a people’s freedom and became a symbol of resistance now faces removal from the very country he believed would protect him — the United States. And in a striking twist, he remains a devoted supporter of the man whose administration is poised to deport him: President Donald Trump.
According to a Politico report published on May 20, 2025, U.S. immigration authorities recently denied Márquez Duany’s application for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), a law that for decades facilitated legal status for Cuban migrants. Barring a successful appeal, he now has less than 30 days to leave the U.S. voluntarily or face deportation.
El Funky became widely known in 2021 with the release of Patria y Vida (“Homeland and Life”), a protest anthem co-written with several Cuban artists — some of whom remain imprisoned on the island for their activism. The song, which was banned in Cuba, galvanized youth and fueled the largest demonstrations in Cuba in decades. That same year, El Funky received an invitation to perform at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Seizing the opportunity to escape, he left the island under the watch of Cuban authorities, who reportedly told him at the airport: “What we want is for you to leave. But don’t come back.”
After settling in Miami, he quickly began building a new life. He married a Cuban American woman, took a job at a Christian school, and continued making music. His trajectory echoed that of many Cuban exiles before him — until the immigration system broke down in his case, as reported by Politico.
Ironically, his future in the United States now hangs in the balance under Trump, a president he has openly endorsed. “If I could vote, I would have voted for Trump,” he told Politico. “He’s the strongest president when it comes to Cuba.” But ideological loyalty has not protected him from the realities of shifting immigration policy. Should he be deported, he faces a regime that sees him as a political enemy and could be jailed or even executed, alarmed several Cuban human rights activists.
Márquez Duany’s case reflects a broader and often-overlooked transformation in U.S. policy toward Cuban migrants.
While the Cuban Adjustment Act technically remains in effect, its impact has been weakened by restrictions on humanitarian parole and the reinstatement of deportations to Cuba — policies revived under Trump and extended by the Biden administration.
According to Politico, errors in his initial residency application contributed to the denial. His new attorney is now racing to file an asylum request.
One of the more notable elements of the case, as highlighted by Politico, is the silence from Florida’s Republican delegation — lawmakers who had previously championed Patria y Vida as a symbol of liberty.
Marco Rubio, now serving as Secretary of State, has not commented. Neither have Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart or Carlos Giménez. Only Rep. María Elvira Salazar has publicly weighed in, calling El Funky a “political refugee who deserves the full protection of U.S. immigration law.”
Her office has confirmed they are in contact with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about the case, but have not promised any outcome.
The lack of vocal support contrasts sharply with the celebration the rapper once received. In Florida’s conservative Cuban American circles — where Trump enjoys widespread backing — support for the president remains strong, particularly through influential Spanish-language outlets like Radio Mambí. El Funky himself still defends Trump’s immigration stance, albeit with a plea for nuance: “I understand trying to get rid of those who shouldn’t be here. But Trump should look at each individual case — like mine.”
His latest song, Inmigrante (“Immigrant”), reveals a more intimate side. It’s a gentle and melancholy track that underscores the human cost of exile:
I’m just one more immigrant
Who only wants to have a dream
I have faith I’m gonna make it
I need strength and health to keep going.
For Márquez Duany, returning to Cuba is not a symbolic defeat — it’s a matter of life and death. “I’m not going to shut up,” he says. “In Cuba, everybody knows who I am. Going back puts my life in danger.”
Cuban Americans have long been one of the Republican Party’s most loyal immigrant communities.
Historically sheltered from the harsher edges of U.S. immigration enforcement, many believed their political alignment would continue to shield them under Trump’s second term — a victory they helped deliver in the 2024 election. But as Ana Sofía Peláez, director of the Miami Freedom Project, told Politico, the community is now experiencing “real disbelief.” Many are only beginning to realize that even Cubans can now be swept up in America’s tightening immigration policies, regrets Ana Sofía Peláez.
