Uruguay currently has around 30,000 asylum applications submitted by Cubans still in process, but only 52 citizens from the island have been officially recognized as refugees, a gap that has raised questions about the system's capacity as well as the political will to resolve these cases.
The figure was revealed by El País of Uruguay, which detailed that the number of applications from Cubans has multiplied in recent years while the actual approvals remain very few.
Approved cases have been granted sporadically over the past decade. In 2025, two Cubans were recognized, in 2024 there were six, in 2023 seven, and the largest number cited by the outlet corresponds to 2019, when 13 applications were granted.
Meanwhile, the flow continues. According to the report, around 30 Cubans enter each month at the Rivera border crossing seeking asylum, which means the backlog of cases continues to grow.
The Uruguayan Deputy Foreign Minister, Valeria Csukasi, attributed the delay mainly to a structural issue between the number of applications received and the capacity of the Refugee Commission (CORE) to process them.
“The buildup of asylum requests in Uruguay is mainly explained by a structural mismatch between the volume of requests and the institutional and operational capacity of the Refugee Commission to process them,” previously stated to BBC Mundo.
However, other voices offer a different explanation. Leydis Aguilera, deputy representative of the National Party, born in Cuba and residing in Uruguay for 16 years, attributed the situation to a “lack of political will”.
"Leftist governments have not recognized that it is a human rights issue," Aguilera stated to El País.
"It is evident what is happening. Today in Cuba, there are more than 4 million Cubans outside the island, all connected by a common thread; no one left for a vacation."
The very functioning of the CORE adds complexity to the debate. The body is made up of representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the ministries of the Interior, Labor, Social Development, and Housing, as well as the Faculty of Law and non-governmental organizations.
Some participants consulted by El País acknowledged that validating applications from Cubans based on political persecution or human rights violations implies officially accepting that such situations occur on the island, something that, according to those sources, could compromise the political stance of the Uruguayan government regarding Cuba.
Aguilera claimed to know cases of Cubans who have been waiting for a response for more than three years, a delay that leaves them in a precarious migratory situation.
"They have been denied rentals, loans, and children have not been able to access continuity with specialists. They are people who remain in a migratory limbo," he explained.
The legislator also described many of the applicants as "political, economic, humanitarian exiles" and noted that numerous Cubans arrive in Uruguay after selling their belongings and traveling through several countries.
Uruguayan legislation recognizes a person as a refugee if they have a well-founded fear of persecution due to reasons such as race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, gender, or political opinions, as well as those who have fled because their life, safety, or freedom are threatened by widespread violence, internal conflicts, massive human rights violations, or other serious circumstances.
But other individuals associated with the CORE argue that a significant number of Cubans leave the island primarily due to the economic crisis and that, in many cases, it is challenging to prove the elements of persecution or threat required by law to grant refugee status.
The difference in the treatment given to Venezuelans is also evident in the debate. Of the 3,244 refugees that Uruguay was hosting at the end of 2025, about 2,543 were Venezuelans, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs obtained by El País through a public information request.
During the previous government, a streamlined procedure was established for Venezuelans that eliminated some requirements, including interviews in certain cases. As a result, 842 applications were approved in 2023 and 659 in 2024.
For Cubans, however, there is an additional difficulty: Uruguay requires a visa for citizens of Cuba. In practice, thousands have remained in the country for years while they process their immigration status.
In May 2024, the government of Luis Lacalle Pou established a program for residency based on ties to regularize approximately 20,000 foreigners already residing in Uruguay. The deadline to apply for this mechanism ended in May 2025, and the current government decided not to extend it.
The backlog of nearly 30,000 applications is occurring amidst a transformation of Cuban migration routes.
With the collapse of crossings through the Darién, thousands of Cubans have once again turned their gaze towards countries in South America, including Uruguay, as an alternative for emigration or to regularize their status.
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