CUBA – Every day, Cuban mother Mayra Ruiz wakes up wondering if today might be the day she hears from her only son, Maiquel Gonzalez. Gonzalez disappeared without a trace in December 2022 alongside 28 friends and family who fled for Florida aboard a homemade boat. They were frantic to escape the crisis-racked Caribbean island, amid signs the United States was about to tighten immigration rules. For nearly two years, Ruiz has lived in limbo, yearning for any sign of her son. “We haven’t had good news, but we haven’t had bad news either,” said the 61-year-old, who lives in the city of Santa Clara, in central Cuba. “My mother’s heart tells me he’s alive… but not hearing from him is torture.”

Gonzalez, who would now be 28, was typical of Cuba’s youth, his mother said: He loved music and dance, and drove a motorcycle taxi. But he also dreamt of a car, and a better home for his mother and father. He knew he could never afford the nearly $5,000 price tag to fly to Nicaragua and then journey north to the U.S. border – the preferred migration route of many Cubans. So when the opportunity to take a homemade boat across the Straits of Florida presented itself – for less than $200 – he jumped at it.

The price was right. The distance, little more than 90 miles, far shorter. But the risk was incalculable. The Straits, which bridge the gap between Cuba and the U.S. state of Florida, are plagued by strong currents, treacherous weather and shark-infested waters – considered among the five most dangerous migrant crossings globally, the U.N. says. (Reuters)…[+]