Communist Cuba Losing its Youth Population
One year after Cuba was rocked with protests due to shortages of necessities, the island nation is seeing one of the largest exoduses from its territories since Fidel Castro’s revolution of 1959. The summer of 2021…

One year after Cuba was rocked with protests due to shortages of necessities, the island nation is seeing one of the largest exoduses from its territories since Fidel Castro’s revolution of 1959.
The summer of 2021 protests led to activists being detained, threatened, and harassed, according to a report by The Washington Post. Events surrounding the protest and the governmental response prompted frustrated citizens to defect, particularly young people.
According to the Post, teachers, farmers, and parents of young children are among the groups primarily fleeing the communist nation citing economic issues and the lack of significant reforms as some of their reasons for the departure.
The report states that much of Cuba’s youth are leaving at a time when the nation’s growth rate is the lowest it has been in the past six decades.
Miami attorney Wilfredo Allen reported receiving 20 to 30 emails a day from individuals who are either hoping to leave Cuba, are waiting at the United States-Mexico border, or are already in the United States, and he described the movement as “unstoppable.”
“Almost every Cuban I’ve dealt with is young. And they are leaving because they have no hope,” Allen said, pointing out the defining aspect of the newcomers.



