Miami is the objective of Rolando and his wife Yaimaris. In this region in southeastern Florida, they hope to achieve a better future for their seven-year-old daughter because on the Island “every day the situation gets worse.” This Cuban couple spent 48 hours in a detention center after crossing the border before the end of 2022.
In the last twelve months, 283,189 Cubans have been arrested crossing the US-Mexico border, on average, more than 775 entered per day. This represents the largest wave of migration from the Island to the North American country since the 1990s. In the month of November alone, 35,849 compatriots arrived on US soil, according to data from the Customs and Border Protection.
Rolando and his family made the journey through Nicaragua thanks to the support of their relatives who are waiting for them in Miami. “The hardest part was getting out of Cuba,” he said. Since on November 22, 2021, Daniel Ortega allowed Cubans to enter without a visa, Managua became the first port of call on the journey of Cubans to reach the United States.
José Luis and Yurisleidys are another Cuban couple who are in Piedras Negras. These Havanans arrived at the border in the Mexican state of Coahuila with two acquaintances and a cousin, who is already in the US. “My cousin crossed with several from Nicaragua, but we couldn’t because Migration arrived,” he told 14ymedio the 29 year old man.
In order to reach the border strip, they paid the coyotes $13,000. “They abandon you at this point. If you want them to transfer you to Texas (USA) it’s another 4,000 dollars,” denounced Yurisleidys, who has a sister in Florida.
“We want papers to stay in Mexico legally and continue the journey to the northern border with the United States”
The passage of migrants through Mexico is a nightmare. They face extortion from drug cartels, arbitrary arrests, illegal entry into immigration stations, repatriation, and expulsion. In April, Ramon Tejera He denounced that for not paying a bribe to Immigration agents, he was repatriated to the Island along with his wife Yairely Andreu and their daughter.
On December 28, Migration agents detained in the municipality of Huamantla, in the state of Tlaxcala, two vans carrying 24 Cubans were transferredtwo Salvadorans and four Nicaraguans to the US. The detainees were taken to an immigration station, where they were processed a safe-conduct to leave the country within 20 days.
This Monday, in southern Mexico, 5,000 migrants from various countries, including several Cubans, demonstrated in front of the offices of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar). A group entered by force and demanded a response to their request for free transit.
“We want papers to stay in Mexico legally and continue the journey to the northern border with the United States,” Yanela said. The young woman of Cuban origin told in Tapachula that the facilities had been closed for 15 days and they had to arrive on Sunday night to be treated, but no one approached them.
Jordi Armando, another of the Cubans waiting his turn to be seen, warned that the authorities are causing “disorder and chaos,” so if they don’t take action on the matter, “this could get out of control” and end in a tragedy. . Among the group of people there are several Haitians, who, according to him, are the most desperate.
In the face of the protests, Comar officials warned the migrants that they will only serve families with children, so the other adults will have to wait their turn in line.
The numbers of migrants arriving in the US will increase these days, Father Felipe de Jesús Sánchez, from Casa Indi, which is located near the Santa María Goretti Parish, in Monterrey, mentioned to 14ymedio that there are more than 80,000 people from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, “in shelters” near the border from Tijuana to Matamoros, “waiting to cross into the United States.”
BREAKING: A huge migrant caravan of over 1,000 people crossed illegally into El Paso, TX last night, making it the largest single group we have ever seen. The city of El Paso reports Border Patrol now has over 5,000 in custody & has released hundreds to city streets. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ewUQX757Lt
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
On the night of December 12, a caravan with more than 1,000 irregular migrants crossed illegally into El Paso (Texas), as Fox News journalist Bill Melugin documented on video. “The city of El Paso reports that Border Patrol now has more than 5,000 migrants in custody and has released hundreds onto the streets of the city,” he said.
By sea, the exodus of rafters continues. This Sunday “more than 160 migrants in the keys of Florida,” the chief officer of the Border Patrol, Walter Slosar, reported through his social networks. According to details offered, there were 10 landings registered “since midnight.”
Slosar explained that in the last 72 hours, the Border Patrol responded to a high volume of migrant arrivals, so “there is a greater presence of law enforcement and first responders in the area” to prevent them from reaching Florida.
One day before the end of 2022, the landing of 88 Cubans was recorded, who arrived in Florida on five rafts. Given the large arrival of rafters, the authorities decided to close this Monday Dry Tortugas National Park, in the Florida Keysto be able to attend to and rescue stranded newcomers from the islets.
This is how they welcome these Cuban rafters who arrived in the US on New Year’s Eve via Cayo Marathon. Video: Leslie Samada/Facebook #Cuba #Migration #BalserosCubanos #Florida pic.twitter.com/njpWrtD7sM
— 14ymedio (@14ymedio) January 2, 2023
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