Migrants seeking asylum from Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela arrive in the United States, after crossing the Colorado River, from Mexico on February 21, in Yuma, Arizona.
Katie McTiernan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Katie McTiernan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Migrants seeking asylum from Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela arrive in the United States, after crossing the Colorado River, from Mexico on February 21, in Yuma, Arizona.
Katie McTiernan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
HAVANA, Cuba – Marco has put his house up for sale, a one-bedroom, concrete house on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, just a few blocks from the beach. He hopes to sell almost everything he has to pay for his journey out of Cuba.
“Everything is for sale. … Everything,” he said.
Marco doesn’t want to use his full name because he fears he might face government consequences when it comes to his plans to leave the country.
If he gets out, he will become the latest in the largest wave of Cubans to leave the island in decades. Many are trying to cross land by land from Mexico to the United States. In April alone, US authorities recorded more than 35,000 Cuban nationals at the southwestern US border – roughly equal to the entire 2021 fiscal year, based on US Customs and Border Protection. They fled mainly because Cuba was struggling with an economic recession. And when leaders from the hemisphere meet at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, immigration will be a major topic – but communist-controlled Cuba is not invited.
Three migrants from Cuba stand in front of a U.S. National Guard after crossing the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on May 22. U.S. officials have noted a higher number of Cuban nationals at the border. much more than last year.
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
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Three migrants from Cuba stand in front of a U.S. National Guard after crossing the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on May 22. U.S. officials have noted a higher number of Cuban nationals at the border. much more than last year.
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
He lost his job and the economy only got worse
Marco lost his job as an architect during the coronavirus pandemic. He said the economic situation worsened last year when the government scrapped the dual currency system and kept only the Cuban peso. Inflation has skyrocketed – and so has state control over everything, he said.
He knows starting a new life will be difficult, he said, “but at least I’ll try. Here I can’t even do it.”
But it is not an easy getaway. Marco asked for $15,000 for his house. Now he says he will even take $8,000.
A real estate agent in Havana describes the housing market as “fish season”, because there are so many properties for sale.
He asked to be identified only as Alfredo, so he could talk freely about his work. Alfredo sells everything in US dollars, and every transaction takes place outside of Cuba. He has over 2,000 listings available.
“If there are 24 houses on a block, then 20 of them are for sale. And the other four are considering selling,” he said, “not lying!”
Children play outside a dilapidated residential building in Havana, Cuba, on July 13, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has helped wreak havoc on the Cuban economy, as tourism dries up.
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Children play outside a dilapidated residential building in Havana, Cuba, on July 13, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has helped wreak havoc on the Cuban economy, as tourism dries up.
Natalia Favre / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Inequality is growing
The Cuban government blames the bleak economy and massive influx of migrants into the US Not only the decades-long US embargo, but also tough economic sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump. set is still being applied.
Cuba’s vital tourism industry has shrunk, especially during the pandemic, and the country can’t make enough money to buy essentials – everything from basic food to fuel oil. According to Cuban economist Omar Everleny, a piece of meat or fruit now costs 1,000% more than it did last year.
Inequality in Cuba is growing.
“There is now a stark divide in society between people living on state wages – which increase to about $50 a month – and those receiving help from relatives abroad,” says Everleny. ,” Everleny said.
Horse-drawn carriages used to carry tourists sit idle in the garage of a cooperative, where murals of the late Fidel Castro and revolutionary hero Ernesto “Che” Guevara cover the walls of the town. Havana, Cuba, on February 24, 2021.
Ramon Espinosa / AP
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Horse-drawn carriages used to carry tourists sit idle in the garage of a cooperative, where murals of the late Fidel Castro and revolutionary hero Ernesto “Che” Guevara cover the walls of the town. Havana, Cuba, on February 24, 2021.
Ramon Espinosa / AP
Some go to Panama, then north to the United States
And those who can, are leaving. Long lines outside foreign embassies. A woman received a call from her husband while waiting for the Panamanian Embassy in Havana park. She only wants to be identified by her first name as María because she is also afraid to talk about her plans to leave the island.
The couple are trying to get transit visas to Panama. “Then we’ll go to Nicaragua and find work,” she said. Visa requirements there have just been lifted for Cubans. From there, they headed north to the US border.
And leading the exodus are young Cubans. In the hallway of a dilapidated building in Old Havana, a group of teenagers are twirling and rapping in front of a video camera.
An 18-year-old says he wants more opportunities. He uses the stage name El Chulito and doesn’t want to give his real name or talk about politics. It’s about music, he said, and the only economy for that is outside of Cuba.
