Miami Herald: 'I can't buy food': As Cuba's economy worsens, desperate rafters risk their lives at sea
Feb. 25—Marisol Monteagudo's son gave her a kiss goodbye as he headed out the door to spend a night out with friends in Cuba's Isla de la Juventud.
What he didn't tell her: That instead of grabbing a drink or watching a movie, they were planning to board a flimsy raft en route to Mexico.
That was three months ago. She hasn't heard from him since. "Only a mother can understand this pain," Monteagudo, 62, said. "I know my son is alive. I just hope someone helps me find him."
In recent months, U.S. Coast Guard officials have detected a new uptick in Cuban rafters, with the number intercepted at sea in the fiscal year that started in October already surpassing the total for the previous 12 months.
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WNU Editor: Cuba's economy has been in "crisis mode" for almost 60 years. Here is an easy prediction. Absent any real market reforms, Cuba will continue to be in a crisis mode next year, five years, ten years, 60 years from now.
