Government Refuses Pastor Entry To See Dying Child
Cuban authorities have denied Pastor Alain Toledano Valiente permission to return to the country to be with his adult daughter, who is undergoing another surgery for advanced breast cancer. The pastor has been under a government-imposed travel ban since he was forced to leave Cuba in 2022.
Toledano, a prominent leader within Cuba’s unregistered Apostolic Movement, claims the government is preventing his return despite a serious family health crisis, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization based in the United Kingdom.
In a recent video posted on Facebook, Toledano shared that his daughter, Susana, who still lives in Cuba, faces another life-threatening operation. He pleaded with officials to allow him to return home and be by her side. The pastor was expelled from the country in July 2022 after receiving a warning from State Security: leave within a month or face extended imprisonment. His religious work had made him a longstanding target, as the Apostolic Movement has not been granted legal status in Cuba.
Toledano, along with his wife and two younger daughters, was granted emergency entry into the United States, but his adult daughters remained in Cuba. Not long after the family’s separation, Susana was diagnosed with cancer. Her condition has deteriorated, worsened by Cuba’s lack of medical supplies. The pastor says he has been denied re-entry multiple times, including when a close family member passed away. Authorities have cited a standing ban issued by the Ministry of the Interior.
In his public statement, Toledano urged the Cuban government to respect his basic human rights and stop using travel restrictions as a tool of control. He demanded the right to reunite with his daughter during her time of need. The situation reflects a broader pattern of religious suppression, especially toward unregistered church networks like the Apostolic Movement, which has faced ongoing harassment and forced displacement. CSW’s advocacy director, Anna Lee Stangl, called on Cuba’s leadership to lift the travel ban and allow Toledano to return for humanitarian reasons.