As the United States and Cuba re-establish ties, thousands of Cubans have left the island, worried that the new relations will end a US long-standing policy that gives them a fast-track to a green card if they reach US soil.
Cubans have long been considered political refugees. But instead of riding rafts for 90 miles to Florida, many Cubans — like the family photographer Mónica González followed for this story — are opting for a much longer, and legal, journey. To avoid being caught in the Florida Straits, they are taking planes and buses through Latin America to reach the US border.
All photos by Mónica González. Routes shown on the map are estimates.
Departure: Havana, August 2015
That is when the González family sold their home in Havana and flew to Ecuador, which does not require visas from Cubans (a policy that has since changed). The family, photographed at a shelter they eventually reached in Costa Rica, from left to right: Lizandra Blanco Aguilar, Osmany Jesús González Gutiérrez and their son, Johan Jesús González Blanco.
Quito, Ecuador
The family stayed here until October 2015.
Panama City, Panama
From Ecuador, the González family took a bus to Colombia, went through La Miel and then flew to Panama City.
La Cruz, Costa Rica. November 15, 2015
Next, the family bused to La Cruz, Costa Rica on November 15, 2015. That month, the Nicaraguan government decided to close its border with Costa Rica to Cubans wanting to cross through with permission to continue north to the US.
The González family stayed 82 days at a shelter, a converted school, in La Cruz. Thousands of Cubans have passed through shelters like these in Costa Rica in recent months, fearing the end of US immigration policy that offers them special political refugee status if they reach US soil.
La Cruz, Costa Rica
Lizandra Blanco Aguilar kept in touch through Facebook with her grandmother, who lives in Tampa, Florida, where the family headed.
San Salvador, El Salvador, February 2016
In early February, the González family flew from Liberia, Costa Rica, to San Salvador, El Salvador, bypassing Nicaragua at a cost of $500 per passenger. Next, they boarded buses to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. From there, some Cubans flew to Mexican cities on the US border. The González family could not afford the tickets and took a bus to reach the United States.
Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico
Cubans received documentation from Mexican migration officials allowing them to pass legally through the country for up to 20 days.
Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, February 4, 2016
The González family contracted a private bus bound for Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, just across the border from Laredo, Texas.
To Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
The trip would take 36 hours and cost $130 per adult and $65 per chid.
Traveling through Mexico
The bus took a longer route to the Texas border to avoid parts of Mexico run by drug cartels, where the organized groups tended to charge “tolls” to pass through their controlled areas. The bus passed through the following states: Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, Estado de México, Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Coahuila and Nuevo León.
Puebla, Mexico
The González family picked up some roasted chicken.
To Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Mexican migration officials, the army and federal police stopped the bus eight times as it passed through the states of Chiapas and Veracruz in order to check passengers’ documentation.
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. February 7, 2016
Finally, the bus arrived at Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The González family walked across a bridge connecting Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and Laredo, Texas.
Asking for asylum
On the US side of the border, Cuban migrants asked for documents in order to seek asylum in the US. They received approval within 24 hours.
Laredo, Texas
Cubanos en Libertad, a non-profit group based in Laredo, sells a $300 package that includes a place to rest for a few hours, food, and a bus to different locations in the United States.
Laredo, Texas
The González family rested, ate and showered at a home rented by Cubanos en Libertad in Laredo before boarding a bus for Tampa, Florida.
On to Florida
The Tampa-bound bus ride took 22 hours. Three other families shared the van with the González family.
Tampa, Florida, February 8, 2016
More than five months after leaving Cuba, the González family reunited with relatives in Florida. Lizandra Blanco Aguilar’s grandmother met her grandson for the first time.
