Bosnia, another way for the Cubans to Europe

This week, international news agencies revealed a route of Cuban immigrants aspiring to reach Europe illegally. Many seek to get to the Schengen area, especially Spain, to settle permanently because of the “language”.

According to a report EFE, Cubans are looking for Europe, through Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country bordering Croatia, which is part of the European bloc. They arrived in Bosnia through Serbia, when it had not yet required visas for Cuban travelers, which it had already canceled, precisely because of these situations.

They leave Cuba as a married couple, on numerous occasions arriving in countries close to the Schengen area such as Serbia, Montenegro or Russia, which still maintain a free visa. They usually stay for months to make their way closer to the European bloc for free movement, but in most cases they are held in migrant centres.

We had no other choice but to leave Cuba. “We simply couldn’t live with the money we brought home, it wasn’t enough even for basic needs,” said Kobe, interviewed at a migrant center in Bosnia.

Bosnia, a new route to try to reach Europe

According to the Cubans, they get to Bosnia by bus, taxi, or across the Drina River by boat. Some of them came from Russia, and from there to Belarus, to Turkey, and finally to Serbia to cross into Bosnia. The journey is exhausting, takes months and even years, and they have not yet reached Europe.

Official figures from the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Office told EFE that more than 700 Cubans have passed through the Boreisi migrant center so far this year, more than 300 women and 90 children. In the center of Lipa, which is also a migrant reception center, but only for men, there are more than 100 Cubans.

When Cubans enter Bosnia, they ask for asylum and they have a month to try to leave for Croatia, because the truth is they don’t want to settle in Bosnia, that’s not the point. However, daily news reaches the immigrant camps that all immigrants are being deported from Croatia.