Cuban migrants cross Latin American jungles and rivers in attempt to reach the US

Cuban migrants cross Latin American jungles and rivers in attempt to
reach the US
By David Sim | International Business Times

At least 45,000 Cubans are expected to travel by bus, boat, taxi and on
foot from Ecuador and other South and Central American countries to the
US this year, afraid that the normalisation of relations between the US
and Cuba will mean an imminent end to special immigration privileges
that date from the Cold War.

While migrants from across Latin America struggle to get green cards and
many live illegally in the US, fearful of deportation, Cubans receive
residency with ease under the US Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996.
The overland exodus has caused a border crisis in Central America, set
off tensions in the newly friendly US-Cuban relationship and sparked
rising calls in the US to end Cubans' automatic right to legal residency
once they touch American soil.
Cubans start with an advantage other migrants can only dream of: many
countries along the route grant Cubans free passage because their
government does not respond to most requests for information about
illegal migrants that would allow them to be deported. Many Cubans who
run out of money along the way have access to hundreds or thousands of
dollars in backup funds sent by relatives who belong to one of the US'
most prosperous immigrant groups.
Once they reach the US border, they can just show up at an established
port of entry and declare their nationality, avoiding the dangerous
desert crossings that confront many migrants who try to avoid US Border
Patrol. Federal data shows 45,000 Cubans appeared at US land border
points in the 12 months ending 20 September 2015, and at least as many
are expected in the coming year.
But along the way, Cubans still must navigate jungles, rivers, at least
seven international borders and countries in the grip of gangs
responsible for some of the world's highest homicide rates.

When migrants are stopped by border guards along the route, officials'
first step is contacting the migrant's country to confirm their
identity. In the case of Cubans, that's often impossible. The Cuban
government doesn't respond to as many as 90% of inquiries about people
with Cuban passports but no visas, said Mario Madrazo Ubach, head of
immigration control at Mexico's National Migration Institute. Since
entering the country without a visa in itself isn't a crime in Mexico,
Mexican authorities generally give the Cubans 20 days to leave the
country, which they use to get to the US border and claim legal
residency. Similar scenarios take place throughout Central America.

However, countries along the well-trodden route have begun clamping down
on the flow of Cuban migrants. Some 1,200 Cubans had been stuck in
Panama, attempting to cross into Costa Rica when Costa Rica suddenly
tightened its immigration policy, then reversed course and allowed the
Cubans in. However, after passing through Costa Rica they were stopped
at the Nicaraguan border. Ecuador has now announced it would require
visas from Cubans starting 1 December.

Source: Cuban migrants cross Latin American jungles and rivers in
attempt to reach the US - Yahoo News UK -
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/cuban-migrants-cross-latin-american-152327630.html#mWnhbGP