Nicaraguan media reflected this week that the Cuban exodus in Nicaragua towards the United States is unstoppable and at least 5,000 Cubans enter the Central American country by air monthly to follow the route to the southern border of the United States.
According to a report from the newspaper La Prensa, between 2022 and 2023 more than 600 thousand people used the “Sandino” Airport in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, as an entry point to the country, which does not require visas from Cubans, to continue on their way. heading to the United States.
The media points out that despite the Joe Biden government’s policy of sanctions on charter flights that connect with Nicaragua, the flow and exodus of migrants using the country as a springboard has not stopped. They point out that the majority of these flights arrive from Cuba and other Caribbean islands, and although some connections have decreased, the reality is that hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily.
In December 2023, according to statistics from the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN), more than 80 thousand people entered through the Nicaraguan airport, but more than 30 thousand did not return on planes to their countries of origin.
5 thousand Cubans a month arrive in Nicaragua
According to Nicaraguan researcher Manuel Orozco, cited by LP, in the first two months of 2024, more than 60 thousand passengers will have arrived in Nicaragua through the Airport. He estimates that Conviasa and Aruba flights, which continue to connect from Cuba to Nicaragua, will continue to bring close to 5,000 Cubans per month to Nicaragua. Cubans who will follow the route to the United States.
“I don’t know if the Biden administration wants to cut those Aruba Airlines commercial flights from Cuba to Nicaragua, nor the reason why it doesn’t (…) My suspicion is that of the average of 55,000 tickets, plus these that will be between 7 thousand and 8 thousand will remain until May,” said the researcher.
They claim that since Nicaragua implemented the visa exemption for Cubans in 2021, more than 600,000 people have tried to reach the United States via this route.
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