The new season of migration of Cubans toward the southern border of the United States or by sea is in full swing. If we assumed this based on the huge number of Cubans who have found themselves at airports on their way to Nicaragua in recent months, data from the border guard agency of the northern country now supports this.
According to reporter Daniel Benítez of Univisión 23, some 12,697 Cubans were arrested by US Border Patrol in August this year after attempting to enter the United States by sea or land. This would be the largest amount since December 2022.
“In total, 409,250 Cubans were captured at North American borders in 23 months. This number represents more than 4% of the island’s population. Cuba is a country on the run. At the national level, August is the month with the most arrests after border crossings in history: 304,162,” this journalist added on Twitter.
New season of the migration wave of Cubans to the USA
For weeks, images have been circulating of hundreds of people filling the waiting rooms of Cuban airports such as Havana and Holguín on their way to Nicaragua, where Cubans are not required to have a visa to take the migration route to the North American border. . Many are waiting in Mexico for the CBP One appointment to enter legally, others are taking more risks and trying to cross the border illegally.
If those attempting to enter illegally are caught, as is the case with the intercepted rafters, they will be returned to the island and will not have access to a legal “humanitarian parole program” for at least five years. Through the aforementioned parole, nearly 50,000 Cubans have entered the United States since January. A number that far exceeds the visas that the US Embassy issues annually to Cubans to enter the United States.
