With relations with the United States thawing, more and more Cubans are trying to pursue a new life in the U.S. This year alone, an estimated 45,000 Cubans have left the island, which is the biggest exodus since the 1980 Mariel boatlift where 125,000 people were hauled across the Florida Straits.
Instead of the usual assumption that defectors are motivated by the political unrest in the country, a number of refugees in the U.S. stated their motivations are actually economic, according to the Telegraph.
Herrera Matamoros, a barber who recently crossed the border to the United States, agreed with this assumption. Earning only $20 a month in Cuba, he said his salary then was barely enough to live on and definitely not enough for a better life.
In fact, he stated it is not really the political unrest in the nation that is dragging the people down. Rather, it is a bleak Cuban economy that offers very little promise that motivates defectors to leave the country and attempt to pursue a new life in the U.S., reported the Sun-Sentinel.
"Life in Cuba squeezes you. There you work and work and work and it's for nothing. You never get ahead," said Matamoros.
Since 1966, Cubans, unlike other Latino nationalities, have been able to enter the U.S. simply by showing up at an established point of entry and declaring their nationality. Once on American soil, most Cubans immediately gain access to a range of benefits, which include food stamps, welfare and Medicaid, among others.
Such a system, however, is currently being challenged, especially since a number of the benefits granted to Cuban immigrants are allegedly being misused, according to La Prensa.
