The government estimates that the number of Cubans living abroad is three million.

In the context of the most serious migratory crisis that Cuba has faced in decades, the regime of the Caribbean nation estimated the number of Cubans living abroad at three million.

In an interview with the AP agency, Colonel Mario Méndez Mayedo, head of the Identification, Immigration, and Alien Affairs Department of the Ministry of the Interior, stated that it is currently estimated that there are around three million Cubans living abroad, including those born on the island and their descendants.

In the United States, the country with the largest Cuban community, there were at the end of April 2024 around 1.3 million Cubans with residency, in addition to another 300,000 who have their stay pending and around 100,000 who arrived through special permits granted by President Joe Biden's administration.

It explains that fewer Cubans have emigrated to Spain, Mexico, and Italy, and there is also a presence of them in Chile and Russia. In the last five years, Cubans have shown to have citizenship from around 140 countries in the world, as indicated by the report.

In that context, the Cuban government has announced that it will present to Parliament a package of three laws to update citizenship rules, as well as the entry and exit of foreigners and nationals in the country.

The Migration, Foreigner Affairs, and Citizenship laws will be debated by the National Assembly of People's Power in the session starting on July 17.

These laws contain important novelties, such as the elimination of the 24-month limit for Cubans residing abroad to re-enter the country without losing their social and property rights, such as ownership of their homes, said the official.

Furthermore, it will be allowed to claim Cuban citizenship up to the level of grandchildren for Cubans living outside the country.

While the new laws will also expand the rights and residency permits for Cubans who emigrated before the past decade, who currently face many restrictions, and for foreigners who wish to do business or settle on the island; it also allows the regime to regulate the entry of activists and government opponents.

For this, the new laws will maintain conditions for "exceptional cases" related to "national security" or "public interest," as determined by the authorities.

In previous years, Cuban political opponents have reported being prevented from leaving the country when invited to activities abroad by government-critical groups, or from re-entering the island.

Méndez justified the controversial issue of the "regulated" Cubans by saying that it must be kept in the context of the "perpetual aggressiveness situation" that Cuba faces, referring to the sanctions from the United States.

US border authorities reported having encountered half a million Cubans between October 2022 and May 2024, a significant figure considering the island's population of 11 million inhabitants.

Méndez, who recently referred to the massive exodus of Cubans over the past three years as "a new demographic and social scenario," commented that having accurate emigration figures is crucial for establishing public policies in health, education, and social security.

Last week, the Cuban regime recognized the magnitude of the current migration crisis and revealed that 1.3 million Cuban emigrants maintain residence in Cuba but live in the United States.