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More than 13,000 Cubans stranded in Tapachula, Chiapas, have found in informal networks the only alternative to continue sending money and food to their families in Cuba, due to the disappearance of most formal channels for remittances and packages, according to a report published this Wednesday by the Diario del Sur.
The system operates through a chain of trusted intermediaries. The migrant hands over or transfers the money to a person in Mexico, who coordinates with a collaborator in Cuba to ensure that the recipient receives the equivalent in cash.
"If I want to send money to my dad in Cuba, I transfer it to someone here, and they have someone there who delivers the cash. That's how it works," explained Gloria, a Cuban migrant interviewed by the Chiapaneco newspaper.
Those who operate these networks mainly benefit from the exchange rate and the management of currencies within the island, although for many migrants, the goal is far from any economic gain.
"I don’t do it to get rich. I do it so my parents can eat. Sometimes I send them what I earn in a week, and they tell me it barely stretches to buy rice, oil, and some basic products," Gloria stated.
According to the report, most Cubans send money every two weeks or once a month, depending on their income and their families' needs.
In addition to money, many migrants turn to sending non-perishable food, hygiene items, and other basic products, although the options are also limited.
Currently, a company of Cuban origin continues to offer this service, but its rates, requirements, and delivery times make it difficult for many migrants to access. Additionally, another international company dedicated to package shipping has temporarily suspended operations to Cuba.
The few formal remittance services that are still operating offer deliveries within a timeframe of one to five business days, but they charge variable commissions and operate in an increasingly restricted market due to the high financial and regulatory costs of transactions between Mexico and Cuba.
Between the migration limbo and the Cuban crisis
The reliance on these informal networks is due to the combination of two crises.
On one hand, thousands of Cubans remain trapped in Tapachula after being deported from the United States since February 2026, amidst a migration cooperation scheme that has turned Mexico into one of the main return destinations. Many of them have no options to return to Cuba or re-enter U.S. territory.
On the other hand, the closure of the main official remittance channels has further complicated economic support for families who remain on the island.
Western Union indefinitely suspended its money transfers to Cuba in February 2025 following sanctions imposed on Orbit S.A., while Cubamax halted that service two months later. Although Correos de Cuba reactivated international money transfers in April 2026, the program only includes shipments from Spain, Chile, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru, and Panama, leaving out Mexico.
A vital support for families
For many Cuban families, remittances represent the main source of income amid an increasingly profound economic crisis.
Various studies indicate that 97.6% of the population struggles to access basic products, and one in three households has recently experienced episodes of hunger. At the same time, the basic food basket continues to show severe shortcomings, with essential products like rice being sold for over 400 pesos per pound in the informal market, while the average state salary hovers around 7,000 pesos per month.
However, turning to unofficial channels also carries risks. By May 2025, scams targeting Cubans in Tapachula had already been documented, which used informal platforms to send remittances and ultimately lost all their money without any possibility of recovering it through legal means.
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