Kim
Work
Politics
Mr.
Peat
January
21st, 2016
Cuba Article
Ever since the announcement
about a year ago that America and Cuba were re-establishing ties, more Cubans
are fleeing to the US than ever. It has managed to create a humanitarian drama
for Cubans. Which might come to a surprise, because the agreement has made embassies open, businesses surge,
credit cards have been accepted, internet access has widened, and direct flights
and postal services have resumed. Yet, according to locals things have only
gotten worse. About 1,500 human rights campaigners were arbitrarily detained in
December. In addition, the idea of political participation seems to be a
distant dream.
Cubans are fed up of
the repression and economic problems at home. As well as, fear that soon they
won’t be welcomed by the US.
 |
| Cuban migrant staying at a temporary shelter in the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. |
Pope Francis called for Central American
states to find a solution, and quickly. The Pope said, “I ask the countries of
the region to generously resume efforts to find a quick solution to this
humanitarian drama,” when speaking from St Peter’s. Even the Nicaraguan
government suggested that Washington organize an airlift for the Cuban
immigrants, to travel from Costa Rica to the United States (there are currently
6,000 Cubans in Costa Rica). The Costa Rican government managed to convince
both Belize and Guatemala to allow the Cubans passage to reach Mexico. This
issue has caused about 45,000 Cubans to flee the island in the last year.
Other efforts that have been made are Cuban immigrant organizations. One in
particular is the Exodus
94 Foundation, created by Alicia Garcia (a woman that fled Cuba in 1994). Her
goal is to help new arrivals without family members in the US. She assists them
with documentation, shelter and jobs. She does her best to assist them in finding
work across the US in Pennsylvania, Houston and California. She doesn’t get
many Cubans at a time, only 25 showed up in the last week; compared to the
100-200 she was in the past months.
 |
| Cuban migrant with a tattoo of the U.S flag and the writing says "If no car, we go rafting." |
This article outlines the real
issue and the causes of it. For Cubans this is not a stable situation, and as
more people begin to flee the harder the situation will be to manage. It really opened my eyes, for I could not
understand their initial logic. But the evidence shown has really proved the their
reasoning. An example being that, one Cuban electrician was making only $12 a
month in Cuba. Ever since he fled to the U.S. he is able to make $1000 a month.
It’s settling the amounts of effort people are giving to lend a helping hand
such as: the Pope, Nicaraguan
government, Costa Rican government, and the countless foundations etc. Though unfortunately,
this is still a major issue that the U.S. government and Cuban government need
to find a solution for. And other countries should try and play a part in
assisting these immigrants, as some few already have.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/cuba/12062904/How-more-Cubans-are-fleeing-for-the-US-than-ever.html
Kim, this is a really great article and it's nice to see that native Cuban's, like Alicia Garcia are bringing about change in their own country. As Fukuyama theory suggests, which I agree with, the foundation of democracy in developing countries must be established and fought for by the people themselves.
ReplyDeleteHey Kim great article, the fact about the electrician making $12 vs $1000 is very interesting however I think we have to keep in mind purchasing power. In Cuba you can buy a lot more with $12 than you ever could in the US and Cubans also get a monthly food allowance where most of what they would need for the month is supplied. There also isn't really a large range in socio-economic status so most people make roughly the same amount of money. As for the $1000 in the US I think it may actually be harder to live on a $1000 a month in Miami than on $12 a month in Cuba.
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