In line with the world emigration situation, Cubans chiefly leave their country for economic and family reasons, an issue that is politically manipulated by the United States, says immigration expert Ileana Sorolla.
Aside from the first exodus of Cuban emigrants aligned with the Fulgencio Batista regime (toppled by the January 1, 1959 Revolution), the causes behind Cuban emigration and the interests of the U.S. government are the same that encourage the emigration of millions of people worldwide, says the director of the World Migration Studies Center at the University of Havana.
In the second part of a study released by Granma daily today, Sorolla said that world migration flows are linked to mankind's largest challenges. "They are the result of the systematic and cumulative plundering of the natural and human resources from the countries who currently report the highest migratory flow," she noted.
Sorolla also said that Cubans leave the country for other personal reasons, linked to historical-cultural factors which are rooted in Cuba's formation.
She clarified that the majority of Cubans living in more than 150 countries maintain normal relations with their families in Cuba and a desire for close relations and respect for their country.
In 2011, around 400,000 Cubans visited the island, according to official sources, she said, adding that nearly 86 percent of Cubans living abroad are located in the U.S., whose government uses migration as a political weapon, through programs that encourage internal subversion and brain drain. New migratory laws will be enforced in Cuba on January 14, including the elimination of the previously required departure permit and invitation letter for foreign travel, and the extension from 11 to 24 months for visits abroad without losing one's residency status.