Cubans are disappearing as they sail to America, leaving a painful void
World
Cubans are disappearing as they sail to America, leaving a painful void
PALMA SOLA, Cuba (Reuters) - Every day, Cuban mother Mayra Ruiz wakes up wondering if today might be the day she hears from her only son, Maiquel Gonzalez.
Gonzalez disappeared without a trace in December 2022 alongside 28 friends and family who fled for Florida aboard a homemade boat. They were frantic to escape the crisis-racked Caribbean island, amid signs the United States was about to tighten immigration rules.
For nearly two years, Ruiz has lived in limbo, yearning for any sign of her son.
"We haven't had good news, but we haven't had bad news either," said the 61-year-old, who lives in the city of Santa Clara, in central Cuba. "My mother's heart tells me he's alive... but not hearing from him is torture."
Gonzalez, who would now be 28, was typical of Cuba's youth, his mother said: He loved music and dance, and drove a motorcycle taxi. But he also dreamt of a car, and a better home for his mother and father.
The price was right. The distance, little more than 90 miles, far shorter. But the risk was incalculable.
The Straits, which bridge the gap between Cuba and the US state of Florida, are plagued by strong currents, treacherous weather and shark-infested waters - considered among the five most dangerous migrant crossings globally, the UN says.
Reuters spoke with more than 40 friends and family of those lost on that boat. The conversations shed light on the complex calculus made by would-be migrants before undertaking the life-or-death journey. They also highlight how some families are left permanently scarred by their disappearance.
The UN's Missing Migrants Project says 626 have died along the route since 2014, but cases like this one - never investigated by regional governments nor registered by the UN - suggest the numbers who disappear at sea may far exceed official counts.
Some family and neighbors of those lost told Reuters that preparations were already underway for a new exodus as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate immigration policy ahead of the Nov 5 election, sowing fear among prospective migrants that the US may again tighten its entry requirements.
