GINEBRA.- During the year 2023, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) counted that more than 319,000 Cubans requested asylum in different countries, after fleeing the totalitarian regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel.
UNHCR reported that Cuban migrants requested asylum mainly in 49 countries throughout last year, especially in the American continent, among other factors due to geographical proximity and cultural similarity.
241,553 migrants chose to USA as the country for which to apply for asylum. Mexico was the second destination requested by Cubans, with 24,957 requests for refuge. Other migrants chose the irregular path to Honduras as a bridge to reach the United States, review CubaNet.
Official data indicate that the number of Cuban migrants in transit skyrocketed in 2023 to reach the highest level in history. This figure reflects a growing trend that began after the Daniel Ortega regime eliminated the requirement of visa to enter Nicaragua.
Cubans arrive in Europe
In addition, more than 40,000 sought asylum in Uruguay, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
The European Union was the third region with the highest number of asylum applications. A total of 5,631 Cubans requested asylum in countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Greece.
Since March 2022, the economic crisis that plagues Cuba persists without showing signs of relief, he noted the analysis carried out by the Human Rights Organization of the Americas (WOLA). According to the WOLA report published at the end of 2023, this crisis has led almost half a million Cubans to leave the country in search of new opportunities.
WOLA noted that the current crisis in Cuba is attributed in part to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed the Island’s persistent structural problems; as well as electrical outages, food shortagefuel and medicines, which have seriously affected public services in Cuba, contributing to the increase in inequality and frustration with the Cuban political system. These factors make life in Cuba unsustainable for many.
Source: REDACCIÓN/CubaNet
