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.
But many became stranded last November when Nicaragua announced it would no longer allow Cubans to travel through the country. Cubans were forced to enter Central America through Nicaragua’s southern neighbor Costa Rica. The closure of Nicaragua’s border caused an increase in Costa Rican smuggling operations as migrants began relying on illegal means to get to El Salvador and continue up to Texas.
By the end of 2014, the number of Cubans stranded throughout 38 shelters in the country peaked at 7,800 individuals. Soon thereafter, representatives from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico approved a plan to fly the migrants over Nicaragua into El Salvador. They would then be bused through Guatemala into Mexico and given a 20-day transit visa for the rest of their journey to Texas.
In mid-January, Costa Rica sent its inaugural flight of 180 Cubans to El Salvador. The group arrived at the Mexico-Guatemala border June 12 and will have until the end of January to reach the U.S. before their visas expire, according to Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Central American leaders deemed the inaugural flight a success and moved to continue the flights starting Feb. 4 and making them semi-weekly flights. The new schedule would allow the 7,800 stranded migrants to reach the U.S. by the end of May.
