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Two Cuban citizens recounted the clandestine route they took to reach Mexico City, a journey managed by criminal networks that have been offering a transportation "package" from Cuba to a subway station for $1,500 since 2021.
Their testimonies to the portal MILENIO detail a well-organized criminal structure, with a presence in several countries and control methods that include identification bracelets, safe houses, and surveillance systems typical of armed groups.
According to the migrants, identified as Juan and María, it all starts on social media, where advertisements proliferate for travel to Nicaragua, a country that has long been a gateway for Cuban migrants heading to Mexico. That's how both of them purchased their packages, although they traveled on different dates.
After taking a flight with the Venezuelan airline Conviasa that landed them in Managua, the land journey began.
Both in Nicaragua and in Honduras, Juan and María described well-prepared accommodations: houses in good condition, abundant food, and mandatory video recordings where they had to share whether they were being treated well. These recordings were sent via WhatsApp to their families as a form of reassurance.
The migrants traveled with a plastic bracelet on their wrist, used by criminal groups to identify them and control their movement.
At each border, the person in charge of the group changed, which highlights a synchronized structure among different operators.
"Everything is very well coordinated," said Juan. "It depends on the checkpoints, it depends on the police. They have scouts who monitor the traffic, where the checkpoints are. They are very skilled."
However, the journey became intolerable upon reaching Guatemala, where authorities and criminal groups treated them "like objects," amidst an atmosphere of corruption and dehumanization.
María reported that the safe houses there were precarious, with poor conditions and armed guards who prevented any attempts to leave.
Used vehicles also changed: they went from relatively comfortable transportation to being crammed in, hidden in old cars, and sleeping in places without roofs or bathrooms. They were prohibited from turning on their cell phones to avoid detection by radar.
Upon arriving in Chiapas, the warnings became openly violent. "If you don't follow the orders, they don't care, and they'll shoot you," Juan stated.
The final part of the journey -about 15 hours from Chiapas to the capital- was carried out without stops.
Finally, after 20 days of travel from Cuba, the group was released at a subway station in Mexico City. At that point, their wristbands were removed and the "service" was considered complete.
Once settled in Mexico, Juan discouraged those who were considering taking that route to leave Cuba.
"You are risking your life. It is paid for, but you really don't know what fate awaits you. If you do it legally, you will have open doors in this country," he assured.
Cubans continue to flee toward freedom
At the beginning of last November, weary of waiting and losing faith in the authorities, Cuban migrants resumed their journey on foot through Mexico after the departure of a new caravan from Tapachula, Chiapas was thwarted.
In small groups, they continued walking under the sun along the coastal road heading north through the country, evading immigration checkpoints in search of an opportunity that had been denied to them for months.
According to a report from Diario del Sur, the caravan that was supposed to depart on October 30 did not materialize.
Douglas Brian Velázquez, a Cuban migrant, explained that the caravan did not take place due to accumulated distrust. This year, at least seven caravans were disbanded by Mexican authorities.
But the organization's failure did not stop many who decided to continue on their own.
Her story was that of hundreds of Cubans who arrived in Tapachula with the hope of regularizing their situation, but who encountered corruption, discrimination, and endless processes with the Comar and the National Institute of Migration (INM).
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