As crisis deepens, Cubans scramble to migrate by any means

By Dave Sherwood
November 9, 2023 6:11 AM EST Updated a day ago

Cubans seek to travel abroad to escape economic crisis in Havana

HAVANA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Cuban Idalberto Echavarria maneuvered his wife Olga in a wheelchair to the front of the line at Terminal 2 of Havana's airport, dodging luggage and a sea of people bidding farewell to friends and family.

The crowded terminal, a launch point for Cubans making their way by air to Nicaragua then overland to the United States, is one barometer of the frenzy to migrate from the communist-run island nation.

For many, like Echavarria and his wife, it has also become a last resort as Cuba's economic crisis deepens with no end in sight.

"There are other ways, but you need money or a family member outside the country," Echavarria told Reuters in an interview at the airport, referring to a refugee program introduced by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden in January that requires a U.S.-based sponsor.

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