In the early hours of January 3, 2023, a group of 32 Cubans set off from southern Cuba on a makeshift raft, hoping to reach Florida. Among them were families, including an 8-year-old girl with her mother, and individuals like Yoel Romero, a 43-year-old bricklayer, and Jonathan Alvarez, a 30-year-old truck driver. Their journey was filled with hope, but it ended in tragedy, as they were never heard from again.
Four days later, only a bag belonging to one of the migrants, Dariel Chacon, washed ashore in the Florida Keys, marking the grim conclusion to their voyage. Despite their perilous journey across the Caribbean, which has claimed the lives of at least 368 Cubans since 2020, many still risk the sea in search of a better life. Cuba’s deepening economic crisis has only fueled this migration wave, with the island losing a million citizens since 2012.
Families, left without answers, continue to search for their loved ones. “We need to know,” says the mother of one of the missing, desperate for closure. This tragedy is part of a broader, largely unnoticed crisis where thousands from Central and South America vanish during their perilous attempts to reach the U.S. via the Caribbean. The journey is fraught with danger, and while some migrants survive, many disappear without a trace.
As homemade rafts leave Cuban shores daily, their passengers—often keeping their plans secret to avoid worry—are gambling with their lives. While some survive to share their stories, the rest fade into the unforgiving sea, their dreams of a better life slipping away.
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