In a reflective essay, Cuban writer Pedro Pablo Morejón imagines how independence hero José Martí would face deportation in the modern U.S. due to his critiques of American expansionism. Morejón highlights Martí's humanism and diverse friendships, contrasting them with today's political divisions. The piece emphasizes Martí's exiled life and unifying legacy for Cuba.
José Martí spent more than half his life outside Cuba, including 15 years in the United States, never accepting U.S. citizenship. As detailed by Pedro Pablo Morejón in his diary published on Havana Times on November 7, 2025, Martí admired America's democratic values but criticized its expansionism and materialistic outlook on life. In today's context, Morejón argues Martí would be at risk of deportation and labeled anti-American by the current administration.
Martí held liberal and democratic ideas with a humanist spirit focused on the poor. He was not a nationalist; as he said: “The homeland is humanity.” Morejón criticizes opportunistic “Cuban-oids” who, he claims, would accuse him of being a communist while supporting deportations and using double standards against other Cubans. In contrast, Martí never divided Cubans with labels like “worms” and was not an extremist: he befriended anarchists, Freemasons (he was one), socialists, annexationists, reformists, unionists, businessmen, religious believers, and independence fighters.
Morejón emphasizes that Martí did not limit himself to talk of Cuba's freedom; he risked his life by boarding a small boat with Máximo Gómez to land in eastern Cuba and fight Spanish colonialism. He led by example without demanding sacrifices from others and was neither a hypocrite nor an opportunist. He mastered five languages and was a journalist, philosopher, lawyer, writer, and politician, uniting divided Cubans around the independence cause—a feat deserving a Nobel, per the author.
Though some call him a drunk, Morejón defends his humanity without vulgarity, stating Martí makes him proud to be Cuban. He concludes with the thought that today, “Pepe” would be seen as a communist and deported.