“Cubans are going to keep throwing themselves into the sea”, they told us in Univision, as in so many other international channels, after the repeal of the so-called “policy of dry feet, wet feet” by Barack Obama last January, which welcomed all Cuban migrants that arrived to the United States .
The Government of Havana had been been demanding for years the end of such a migratory privilege, to encourage irregular emigration and to cause the death of people in the Florida Straits.
A few days ago, we read notes from international agencies on this subject. The Associated Press reported that, after the end of the automatic reception policy, the number of Cuban rafters has fallen down from 25 per day to 20 per month. That is, more than 97%. The Reuters agency indicated a decrease of 87%, adding that “now the Dominicans are the majority among the migrants intercepted at sea”.
In both cases, it seems clear evidence that the denunciation of Havana was true. And a sign that, without exclusive privileges, Cuban emigration to the US – legal or illegal- although it will continue to occur, will be more similar every day to the rest of the countries around.
For years, large media have lied about the figures of Cuban emigration in the United States which, according to White House statistics, is 1.2 million people. They are not 2 million, nor 3 million, as they continue to ensure at international media. The statistical figure, moreover admits doubts, because in difference with another nationalities, until now hardly existed Cuban “paperless” and therefore, difficult to quantify.
However, the spectacular decline that these agencies show doesn´t seem to be in the interest of the media that, so promptly, have been informing us of every upturn in Cuban emigration. We only read it in the progressive newspaper of Mexico La Jornada.
On the other hand, the “anti-Castro” media in Miami and Madrid, funded by the US Government, who have published something on the subject, have camouflaged this exaggerated decline of rafters. For it, they have diverted information attention to anecdotal aspects, such as the increased use of speedboats on illegal cruises for concluding that “the movement of migrants by sea… has not ceased,”despite the end of the policy of ‘dry feet, wet feet’”. Exactly, it has not ceased, but it has declined – even if they do not want to say- by a 90%.
This is how we are informed about Cuba – or about Venezuela (17)- every day: lying, exaggerating, and other times … keeping quiet.
(Cubainformación)