Nicaragua, a new visa-free route for Cubans fleeing the crisis

Hundreds of Cubans crowd every day to get a plane ticket to Nicaragua excited about being able to emigrate to the United States or make purchases for resale in Cuba, after the Central American country surprisingly eliminated the visa for citizens of the island.

But many return frustrated by exorbitant flight prices and because departure dates are postponed for months due to strong demand, in the midst of a deep economic crisis that aggravates the shortage of food and medicine in the country.

Managua, a political ally of Havana, announced on November 22 that would eliminate the visa due to “the number of applications from Cuban citizen siblings with relatives in Nicaragua” and to promote commercial exchange, tourism and the “humanitarian family relationship”.

But “it is no secret to anyone that most Cubans go to Nicaragua to emigrate to the United States,” says a young man who organizes the queue outside the offices of Copa Airlines, the only airline that currently sells flights to Managua. inside the island.

At 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday of last week the office had closed, but 54 people were already on a list for the 140 shifts that the airline would accept the next day. The rest came during the night to join, some even stayed to sleep there.

While waiting at night, a young man commented on his plan: Arrive at the César Augusto Sandino airport in Managua, where someone will wait for him to transfer him to the southeast of Mexico and from there to the northern city of Monterrey, 400 kilometers from Piedras Negras, from where he thinks jump to America.

“Scape valve”

The surprise announcement “has raised hopes and frustrations in the Cuban population,” Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, tells AFP.

“Although the Nicaraguan government has declared ‘humanitarian’ reasons for allowing Cubans to enter their country freely, it is reasonable to assume that it is about open an ‘escape valve’ for the pressures that Cuba has experienced in recent times of recession, pandemic and protests ”, considers the expert.

Fed up with the shortage of food and medicine, thousands of Cubans took to the streets on July 11 shouting “We are hungry” and “Freedom” in some 50 cities on the island.

“Down with the dictatorship,” say the Cubans in unprecedented protests against the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel

Duany estimates that a situation similar to the one that existed in the three previous major migratory crises in 1965, 1980 and 1994 can be observed.

Currently the Cubans They require a visa for almost all the countries of the American continent. An exception is Guyana, from where many begin long and dangerous journeys to reach the United States.

“We took the ticket cheap at the beginning”, at about 600 dollars in Cuban currency, but “now they are in US dollars, 1,000 something up to 2,000 Americans,” says Jovanni Sánchez, a 32-year-old health worker, who waits from the early morning with his wife to reschedule via Panama the flights of both.

One of the reasons for the low supply is that the airline is rescheduling trips of those who previously obtained a visa and could not fly due to the pandemic.

Cuba only reopened its borders on November 15, after 10 months of sanitary restrictions.

“Total chaos”

A round trip by this airline to Managua, with a stopover in Panama and departure date in March, at this time can cost $ 2,330, while a simple one is worth 1,141 dollars. In Cuba the minimum wage is 87 dollars a month.

The Venezuelan airline Conviasa, which has a direct Havana-Managua route, began selling tickets on December 15, according to local Cuban press.

“When they informed me that it was a free visa, I was very happy and I began to save money to travel as soon as possible,” says Verónica Lied, a 32-year-old nurse, a user of a Facebook page called Cubans in Nicaragua.

But “the purchase of the ticket is total chaos, there aren’t any and those that exist … Copa is abusing the prices,” he says when he confesses that he wants to go shopping.

Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in 27 years, dragged down by the fall in tourism during the pandemic and by the tightening of the embargo imposed by the United States, which exacerbated the shortage. This week the government decided to extend until June a temporary authorization for travelers to import food and medicine tax-free and without limits.

“They have told me that there is a very good and open trade in Nicaragua and that is what I intend to do,” Lied concludes with enthusiasm. (I)