Nine years have passed since a group of 32 Cubans boarded an improvised boat with the intention of reaching the Yucatan Peninsula and from there continuing their journey to the United States. Without expecting it, the journey became a desperate fight for survival.
Two days after departure, the boat’s engine failed and they found themselves adrift in the middle of the sea. The agony, hunger, thirst and uncertainty lasted for 23 agonizing days.
In desperation, the migrants tried to attract the attention of passing boats. However, they were ignored by the boats that spotted them.
The barge was only six meters long, which equated to five people per meter. To survive, some had to drink salt water or their own blood and urine. Overcrowded and desperate, some of them decided to swim to shore in search of help, but never returned.
Three weeks later, Mexican fishermen rescued 15 survivors. Authorities confirmed the deaths of 11 crew members and six missing people.
Testimonies like this have been repeated for decades. Names and faces, routes and destinations change, but the pain of loss and horror remains in the survivors’ memories.
According to the “Migration: a Choice of Life and Death” project records, from August 2014 to the present, at least 961 situations and events have occurred involving Cuban migrants transiting irregularly in search of a promising future in the United States.
Initially, the project focused on events on migration routes from 2021 and in particular since the introduction of the visa waiver for travel to Nicaragua in November this year. Subsequently, it was decided to extend the analysis period and include cases dating back to 2014, when the “thaw” in relations between Cuba and the United States began.
After searching for information on the Internet, engaging citizens through social networks and triangulating data with projects such as the Missing Migrant Project of the International Organization for Migration or the Cuba Archive, 70 events that took place between 2014 and 2020 were collected. During this period at least 73 Cubans died and another 163 remained missing. Only 36 of the deceased and 34 of the missing have been identified.
As the historical record of events continues, news and reports of current events involving Cuban migrants continue to arrive.
On February 28, 2023, when the special issue “Migration: a choice of life and death” was published, 733 migration events were recorded on the different routes from Cuba to the United States; including interceptions, disappearances, deaths, rescues, renditions, returns and displacement. At this point there were at least 98 dead and 340 missing, of which only the identities of 60 and 184 people, respectively, were known. There are currently 887 migration events, 157 deaths and 461 missing people. In total, the faces and names of 97 people who died and 284 people whose whereabouts are still unknown were named.
The sea route is the main irregular route through which tragic events occur. Migrants set out to sea on improvised rafts, exposing themselves to great danger, to reach the coasts of Florida or the Yucatan.
As of 2021, there is an increase in reports of Cubans dying or disappearing after leaving the archipelago for the United States, as well as an increase in arrests by immigration authorities.
However, it is important to note that a lower number of reports between 2014 and 2020 may also be linked to lower internet access for Cuban families in those years (mobile data service was only opened on the island in 2018). However, not all relatives of missing or deceased migrants have access to social networks or the emotional strength to file a complaint.
Over the last three years, arrests have been the most common event, accounting for about 36% of recorded cases. Also notable for its repetition is the Coast Guard’s interception of 61 ships and the rescue of 33 groups of migrants on land routes.
Although interception and rescue operations can be viewed as positive events due to the vulnerability of migrants, disruption of the irregular route poses other risks. This often involves the detention of migrants by immigration authorities and subsequent repatriation. According to compiled, freely accessible data, 262 returns of irregular migrants to Cuba have been recorded from 2014 to date.
As for the geographical distribution of migration events, most cases are found in the United States (526), followed by Mexico (180). Other places where incidents involving Cuban migrants often occur include the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Guatemala.
In addition, 19 events have been reported in the last decade, but it is not known in which areas they occurred. In most cases, these incidents involve tragedies on maritime routes where it is difficult to determine which nation owns the international waters where migrants have lost their lives or disappeared.
Irregular migration, often linked to organized crime, paves a path full of uncertainty and tragedy.
Recording these stories and complaints is a powerful tool for advocating for immigration policies that reduce risk and humanize the process. Its main function is to reveal the human cost behind the journeys. It is therefore essential that citizens participate in documenting incidents on these routes. You can do this based on your own experiences or by sharing experiences from family members or acquaintances. The post enables those thinking about emigrating to find out what is happening and make informed decisions.