Curitiba, Brazil: A City Increasingly Sought Out by Cubans
HAVANA TIMES – The presence of Cubans in Curitiba has gone from imperceptible to common. Whether it’s due to Washington’s immigration policy in recent years or simply because life in Cuba is increasingly suffocating and people decide to leave for wherever they can.
I’ve noticed this growing trend at the supermarket where I work, but also in many places that provide services, whether in other supermarkets, stores, car washes, or barbecue stands.
On social media, many Cubans report that the issuance of CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Física – Individual Taxpayer Registry) and RNM (Registro Nacional Migratorio – National Migration Registry) by the Federal Police is taking up to six months, and that this is due to a backlog caused by the avalanche of Cuban migrants.
Brazil continues to be a relatively cheap destination, especially when compared to the journeys toward the United States before the parole program. Reaching Brazil is also much less dangerous.
However, I have heard of altercations with Cuban immigrants in Guyana and Suriname, who were detained and deported back to Cuba. That’s truly painful. I don’t know who is responsible.
I believe migration is not a phenomenon to be taken lightly, as it helps many families living under oppression to rebuild their lives in other countries. It gives people hope.
The downside is that when it happens uncontrollably, it creates imbalances and can be harmful to the receiving countries.
Since Curitiba is one of the best cities in Brazil, it’s a legitimate destination for those fleeing misery. Venezuelans have been doing it for nearly a decade, and now Cubans are starting to follow suit.
What concerns me is the image that this large group of fellow countrymen will project here. How will we be viewed as a collective, and how will that affect our social standing and job opportunities?
It’s also important not to overlook certain anthropological distortions in the Cuban population, caused by so much time spent exposed to communist hardship.
Many families arrive willing to work and grow, but among them come those who are used to living by theft, assaults, those who dislike working, and those who don’t treat others with courtesy and respect.
When I chose this city to live in, I did so seeking peace, safety, and growth. I wouldn’t want to live in a Cuba 2.0 here while the people I love remain back there, exposed to the collapse.
But I am sensitive to the Cuban people’s need to find a land to survive. That’s why I do not advocate for this country to close its borders. We, like the Hebrews in the Bible, have found our own Egypt in Brazil.