More than 1 million people of Cuban descent live in the United States and thousands more make their homes in Europe or Latin America. The elimination of exit visas announced Tuesday could swell those numbers. Some key moments in Cuban emigration:

— January 1959: Rebels led by Fidel Castro take power. Many loyalists of dictator Fulgencio Batista flee immediately, followed by an increasing stream of other Cubans opposed to the new government’s swing toward socialism.

Recommended Stories

Bay of Pigs pilot ends longest US pot sentence but now risks deportation

Is Communist Cuba on its last legs?

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies at 90