Approximately 17,000 Cubans sought refuge in Brazil between January and May 2026, while another 5,946 arrived and settled in Uruguay during the same period.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) collected by Bloomberg Línea, the Cuban migration route has taken a historic turn. The north has lost prominence as a destination. The southern part of the continent has become the new horizon for the exodus from the island.
The IOM specified that "in Brazil, approximately 3,000 Cuban individuals enter each month via Guyana, and in the first five months of the year, there were 16,982 asylum applications registered from Cuban citizens." The organization also confirmed that "in Uruguay, 5,946 Cuban individuals arrived and stayed in the country between January and May 2026."
The contrast with the northern route is staggering. The Darién, which for years was the most traveled corridor on the continent, recorded only 280 crossings in the first half of 2026, compared to 201,063 in the same period of 2024, according to the National Migration Service of Panama. The decline is over 99%.
The immigration policy of the United States
The return of Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025 closed off nearly all pathways to regularize the status of Cubans entering through the United States border.
Thousands of immigrants are stranded in Mexico and are still trying to regularize their status in that country. Others are undergoing similar processes in various Central American countries.
The change in U.S. immigration policy slowed the entry into its territory but did not stop the exodus of Cubans fleeing the rapid deterioration of living conditions in Cuba, chronic blackouts, food shortages, and political repression.
The new migration route starts in Havana with a flight to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, the only country in South America that does not require a visa for Cubans. From there, migrants travel overland to Lethem and cross the Tacutu River irregularly into the Brazilian state of Roraima.
The IOM warns that these movements are "more structured" and are partially facilitated by networks involved in the illicit trafficking of people, who charge between 1,200 and 10,000 dollars per migrant.
"Many Cuban citizens arrive by air from Cuba to Guyana and, from there, continue their journey north to Brazil, mainly through irregular crossings," the IOM detailed.
From Roraima, many Cubans continue south to Brazil —Boa Vista, Curitiba, São Paulo— and finally to Uruguay. Brazil acts as a redistribution center before migrants continue their journey to the Southern Cone.
Uruguay attracts due to its legal framework
Martín Koolhaas, migration expert from the University of the Republic, explained to Bloomberg Línea that Uruguay "approved a new migration law in 2008 based on a human rights perspective" that recognizes equal rights between nationals and foreigners, offering free education and healthcare for residents.
In 2025, more than 22,000 Cubans arrived in Uruguay, the highest number in its history.
In the first quarter of 2026, 13,414 Cubans applied for asylum in Brazil —58% of the total applications in the country— and none were granted that status. The process with Brazilian authorities can take over five years.
The IOM summarizes the phenomenon accurately: "This route has gained significance in a context where Brazil is receiving an increasing number of Cubans seeking international protection and economic opportunities."
Curitiba, the main hub of the Cuban settlement in Brazil, is already being referred to as "the new Miami" by local media, a label that reflects the scale of a migration that shows no signs of slowing down.
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