I mentioned the other day that ~115,000 Cubans had left Cuba in the last several months with the intention of goingvto the USA. Mexico, which had previously allowed Cubans to enter without a visa, now requires one. Therefore, Cubans are going to Nicaragua because a visa is not required.

That is background for a story from El Pais today, where thousands of Nicaraguans have fled Nicaragua in the last several months because the Ortega dictatorship is, well, everything you would expect from a dictatorship.The story centers around a human rights lawyer, Pablo Cuevas, who picked up with his entire family and left, choosing to swim the Río Bravo (US Rio Grande) to get into the USA, and a guy in Nicaragua who teaches swim lessons to those who want to try and swim the US-Mexico border.

The warning is clear, though, the river is dangerous. Ten Nicaraguans died in March and April attempting to cross. The Cuevas family was successful and the attorney is now in Florida.

En español:

elpais.com