Tempe, Arizona, man says his dreams are coming to life in America
"It's a sign of, above all, freedom."
Ever since Yoel Diaz moved to America from Cuba in 2021, his wife Marissa Diaz has been documenting his journey here in the United States.
She captured the emotional moment he received his first paycheck — and last month, she also grabbed his first trip to Washington, D.C., where he saw the White House.
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In a video, Yoel Diaz repeatedly says, "Wow," as he sees the building for the first time.
Marissa Diaz captioned the video: "From dictatorship to democracy. It might house someone you don't agree with, but the symbol of the White House means so much to many around the world, including my husband. His first time seeing the White House was emotional."
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"For those wondering," she added, "Cuba has 65 years of dictatorship where Cubans have not been able to pick their president, hold free elections with different parties except the communist one, nor be allowed to peacefully protest their grievances to their government."
The caption went on, "They have no idea where their president lives. They have no access to the national congress. They are subjected to what one ideology, one party and one person wants for 11 million people."
After coming to America in 2021, Yoel Diaz, left, and his wife, Marissa Diaz, right, have been documenting his journey in the U.S., including his recent adventure to the White House. (Marissa Diaz)
The Tempe, Arizona, couple's video has been viewed more than 55,000 times.
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"In Cuba, they teach us the USA is the enemy and the government is imperialist and the reason we are poor," Yoel Diaz told Fox News Digital via text message.
Yoel Diaz moved to America in 2021 from Cuba. He currently holds a job in maintenance. (@mimaincuba)
"When I went and saw people protesting freely next to police, how beautiful the moments were and how nice the people were, I knew it was all a lie."
He also said, "I couldn't believe people could visit their representatives after a quick security pass … That to me was shocking. In Cuba, many times we don't even know who our delegates are. That was so impressive."
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While in Washington, D.C., the couple met Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., both Cuban Americans.
Yoel Diaz arrived in the U.S. in 2021 on a K1 visa and then applied for residency, a process that took about a year.
In a recent video, Yoel Diaz's wife recorded her husband's reaction to seeing the White House for the very first time. (@mimaincuba)
Once that was approved, he got a work authorization form and a Social Security number.
He and his wife were living with family until recently, when they finally were able to get their own place.
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"That was a really good step," Marissa Diaz told Fox News Digital, adding that her husband has a job in maintenance at a residential company.
"He's learning about that and trying to improve," she said. "He wants to make his own company."
Yoel Diaz says he has already accomplished many of his dreams since living a new life in America. In an Instagram video viewed more than 55,000 times, his reaction to seeing the White House for the first time is captured. (@mimaincuba)
Yoel Diaz said he's already accomplished many of his dreams since living in America.
"Where I come from, they don't let you dream. I didn't know what it was to buy in a market, what it was to go on vacation in another country and what it was to go out with your friends without fear," he said.
"Where I come from, they don't let you dream."
Little things that might seem insignificant to American-born people, he said, "are my American dream."
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Marissa Diaz wants her followers to know she is proud to be American.
Yoel Diaz said he has found that things that seem insignificant to so many are actually his "American dream." (@mimaincuba)
"Sometimes it kind of seems in the U.S. being patriotic is a bad thing, it's a negative thing to wave the flag around," she said.
"I think that's so unfortunate. America has so much to offer to everybody from all backgrounds and political thoughts," she added.
Yoel Diaz first captured viral attention in 2022, after millions of people viewed his wife's Instagram video showing him celebrating his "first American paycheck" when he was working as a UPS driver.
Genevieve Shaw Brown is a contributing lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.
