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Migration as a consequence

· Helfen statt Blockieren editorial team

Migration is rarely the result of a single cause. Economic crisis, sanctions, repression and open travel routes act together. That is exactly why it matters to state the figures precisely and not to play the causes off against each other.

What is blocked

  • Cuba: The Special Rapporteur writes that sanctions result in a growing migration rate, especially among young people1. They act through the living conditions described in the other sheets.

What is expressly allowed

  • US and Cuba: family visits are an authorised travel category2.

What still does not arrive

  • Cuba: Western Union stopped transfers again on 5 February 2025 (closed in 2020, later resumed); the service had been described as a crucial connection between families in the US and in Cuba3.

Documented examples

  • CubaAccording to the statistics office the population fell from just over 10 million in 2023 to 9.4 million at the end of 2025; net migration in 2025 was about minus 245,000. The working-age population shrank by more than 1.2 million in five years4.
  • CubaThe Special Rapporteur mentions emigration of up to 10 percent of the population and 30 to 50 percent vacancies in the public sector, according to information presented to her1.
  • VenezuelaAccording to UNHCR nearly 7.89 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela live abroad, the vast majority in Latin America and the Caribbean5.

Counterpoints: why states impose sanctions

  • Human rights organisations document repression, which is also part of living conditions: on 19 January 2026 Amnesty International demanded the release of everyone detained for political reasons in Cuba6; Prisoners Defenders counted 1,281 political prisoners in May 20267.
  • Cuban civil society: In November 2025 the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba stated that human rights violations do not depend on external sanctions but on the state’s lack of political will8.

Figures marked “according to information given to” are not the cited body’s own measurements but information presented to it.

This page is information, not legal advice. It reports what authorities, courts, governments and organisations decide and say; the views of the side imposing measures and of the side affected stand side by side. “Helfen statt Blockieren” is non-partisan. Please report errors to info@aciel-martinez-poll.com.

Sources

  1. OHCHR, Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan, Preliminary findings of the visit to Cuba, end of mission statement, 11 to 21 November 2025, 21 Nov 2025. Many figures there are marked “reportedly”, i.e. based on information presented to her. https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2133521/20251121-eom-stm-cuba-sr-negative-impact-unilateral-en.pdf
  2. 31 CFR § 515.560, text at Cornell LII, “Travel-related transactions to, from, and within Cuba by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction”, 3 Nov 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/31/515.560
  3. Havana Times (after 14ymedio), “Western Union Suspends Money Transfers to Cuba”, 8 Feb 2025. https://havanatimes.org/news/western-union-suspends-money-transfers-to-cuba
  4. Arab News (AFP), after figures of the statistics office ONEI of 21.7.2026, “Cuba’s population slide continued in 2025 to 9.4 mn”, 22 Jul 2026. https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2651891/world
  5. UNHCR, “Venezuela situation overview, Global Appeal 2026”, December 2025. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/Venezuela%20situation%20overview%20-%20Global%20Appeal%202026.pdf
  6. Amnesty International, “Cuba: One year after selective releases, we demand the immediate release of people detained for political reasons”, 19 Jan 2026. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/cuba-a-un-ano-de-excarcelaciones-selectivas-exigimos-libertad-inmediata-para-las-personas-presas-por-motivos-politicos/
  7. Diario Las Américas, “Represión en Cuba suma nuevo récord de presos políticos”, 11 Jun 2026. https://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/represion-cuba-suma-nuevo-record-presos-politicos-n5397009
  8. CiberCuba, “Cuban regime seeks support from UN rapporteur on sanctions while civil society calls to be heard”, 16 Nov 2025. https://en.cibercuba.com/node/314975

All online sources accessed on 3 November 2026.

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