Cubans flee island’s economic woes by air, land and sea

MIAMI (AP) — One Cuban man endured a trek through eight countries that lasted more than a month.

Another man paid a small fortune for a furtive speedboat trip.

A third decided to risk a perilous passage aboard a homemade raft rather than stay a moment longer on the island.

Cubans are fleeing their country in the largest numbers in more than four decades, choosing to stake their lives and futures on a dangerous journey to the United States by air, land and sea to escape economic and political woes.

Most fly to Nicaragua as tourists and slowly make their way to the United States border, often to Texas or Arizona.

A smaller number gamble on an ocean voyage.

Three men who survived the odyssey spoke to The Associated Press about it.

Tens of thousands of others share the same goal.

From January to July, US border authorities stopped Cuban migrants entering from Mexico nearly 155,000 times, more than six times as many as in the same period of 2021.

From October to August, the Coast Guard intercepted more than 4,600 Cubans, an almost sixfold increase over the entire previous year.

The vast majority are released with notices to appear in immigration court or report to immigration authorities.

In all, it is the largest flight of Cuban exiles since the Mariel boatlift in 1980, when nearly 125,000 Cubans came to the US over a six-month period.

The exodus is fuelled by Cuba's worst economic conditions in decades — a result of tightened US sanctions and a hangover from COVID-19.

Massive street protests in mid-2021 triggered widespread arrests and fears of political oppression that prompted more to flee.

An additional enticement emerged in November, when Nicaragua stopped requiring visas for Cubans to promote tourism.

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