More than 8,000 Cubans who had been stranded in Central America for months have begun arriving in the U.S., according to a statement from the Costa Rican government.

The number of Cubans fleeing the country increased 78 percent from 24,278 in 2014 to 43,159 in FY 2015, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The jump was the result of Cubans who fear the Obama administration might end its current “wet-foot, dry-foot” immigration policy, which allows any Cuban who reaches the U.S. the right to stay and receive welfare benefits, after Obama “normalized” diplomatic relations between the two nations after a 50-year hiatus.