The make-shift rafts, hand-built boats, and in one case a
hot tub transport hopeful people from Cuba to the eastern coastline of
Mexico. Cubanos are desperately looking for
a better life.
When we moved to Isla Mujeres in 2007, we knew nothing of
the Cuban refugee situation other than what was broadcast on American news;
refugees periodically arriving in Florida in dangerously unsafe boats. Fascinating stories, but they didn’t affect our
safe lives in Canada.
Since our first winter on Isla, there have been about a
dozen, or perhaps more, landings that we are aware of. The Cubans are looking for a less oppressive
lifestyle, and for the most part, they have strong family connections with
Mexico, especially Isla Mujeres.
Isla’s
most well-known pirate, Fermin Antonio Mundaca de Marecheaga, became a famous and
wealthy slave trader in the Caribbean, selling Mayan slaves from this area to plantation
owners in Cuba. In 1860, when the British
campaigned against slavery, Mundaca rented out his ships to the Yucatan
Government, which continued to capture Mayans and sell them to Cuba. Family members of both Cuban and Mexican fishermen
visited back and forth for centuries, before international rules and treaties
made it difficult to do so.
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| Across from Naval Base, May 2009. |
Across from the Navy base on Isla Mujeres,
there is a long string of seized boats, rafted together. These are boats confiscated from smugglers;
smugglers of contraband and of people.
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| Refugee boat - April 2012 |
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| Discarded wet clothing, November 2010 |
In 2012, the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board did an
extensive study on what happened to failed asylum seekers who were returned to
Cuba, and to their family members who had stayed in Cuba. The information was scarce and difficult to
validate, but officially, the returning person is only incarcerated if they
committed a crime before fleeing Cuba. However, the option for the officials to declare the returnee a traitor and ‘blacklist’ that person, preventing him or her from obtaining employment or
other services, is a very real threat.
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| Tourist inspecting boat, landed on Sept 4th 2015 |
In Mexico, the laws are a bit fuzzier. If the Cubanos are
captured, either on the ocean or on land, the official policy is to return the
people to their own country. However, in
chatting with various islanders, that is not always the case. Because of their close family ties and the
historical background, the refugees are treated differently.
In the past years, dramatic rescues of prisoners who were being
transferred to prisons. There have been
cases of the refugees being arrested, then released with the admonishment to
show up for their hearing in a week. There have been reports of
officials pointing north and stating, “The US border is that way.” Being Spanish-speaking, the Cuban refugees
assimilate quickly into the Mexican culture, receiving dry clothing, food, and
assistance from the locals.
A wink, a nod, a knowing smile when we ask questions of our Mexican friends. Legends. Stories. Nothing documented.
A wink, a nod, a knowing smile when we ask questions of our Mexican friends. Legends. Stories. Nothing documented.
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| Cozumel boat arrived April 2016 - Por Esto photo |
According to recent news reports, the
authorities believe that both groups and their make-shift boats were ‘planted’
a short distance offshore by bigger boats, enabling the people to safely reach
land.
Either way, stay or return, it is an uncertain future for
the refugees. Hopefully, their status
will get sorted out, and they can get on with building a better life here in
Mexico.
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| Pieces of a Cuban boat on the north-east side, January 2015 |
And for those of you who have been following the story of
the five missing island fishermen, the aerial search for their boat, the
Anastacia, is now centred over the Honduras.
Missing since March 30th, there is still hope for their safe
return.
Hasta Luego
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