Migration Policy Institute 43d ago

Cuba is facing one of its deepest economic crises in decades, and the United States has significantly narrowed the legal pathways that once made it the primary destination for Cuban migrants. As a result, migration patterns are shifting across the Americas in ways the region is not yet prepared to manage. In this episode of World of Migration, host Valerie Lacarte speaks with María José Espinosa Carrillo, Executive Director of Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA), about Cuba's deteriorating conditions, the dismantling of preferential U.S. immigration protections, and where Cubans are heading now. 00:00 Intro 01:36 Cuba's Historical U.S. Policy & the Embargo 03:45 Cuba's Deepening Humanitarian Crisis 08:24 Latin America as a New Destination for Cuban Migrants 13:05 Cubans Stranded in Transit: Central America & Mexico 16:06 How Cubans Are Leaving & The Rise of Smuggling Networks 21:16 A Decade of Eroding Cuban Migrant Protections in the U.S. 27:31 Deportations to Third Countries & Cubans in Legal Limbo 32:04 Cuban-American Diaspora Politics & the Road Ahead