Between January and November 2022, a total of 4,241 Cuban migrants applied for refuge in Brazil, a record number compared to previous years.
Cubans were the second nationality in refugee applications after Venezuelans, a report in the newspaper this Saturday shows Folha de S. Paulo citing data from the Observatory of International Migrations of Brazil (OBMigra).
The Brazilian newspaper points to the island’s severe economic crisis as the main reason for Cubans to emigrate, although it also includes statements by Human Rights Watch senior researcher for the Americas, Juan Pappier, who pointed to political repression, among other human rights violations.
Brazil has recognized 1,043 Cubans as refugees, the majority, 843, for fear of voicing their political opinions in Cuba; another 58 for belonging to a particular social group; 15 for religious reasons and one for racial reasons.
Among the refugees are doctors and other health professionals from the island who deserted before, during and after the closure of the More Doctors program in 2019 under President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. The new government has announced that a “revised version” of the controversial program will be reinstated.
Many Cubans stay in Brazil for a while, taking advantage of the migratory advantages afforded by that country, and then continue their journey north. Other countries like Honduras serve as stepping stones for the islanders. Last year, 72,466 Cubans arrived in the Central American nation, a 1,310% increase compared to 5,139 in 2021.
Cuba is facing an unprecedented migration crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people leave the country in various ways, the largest number heading to the United States’ southern border, where 224,607 arrived in fiscal year 2022, according to data from that country’s Customs and Border Protection Agency.
In the case of Spain, the number of Cubans applying for political asylum in 2022 was 1,392, according to official figures. The island ranked tenth among the countries with the most applicants, beating the 2021 statistic when 1,106 Cubans sought refuge in the European country.