Why is Cuba more isolated than ever in 2026?

The U.S. intervention in Venezuela cut Cuba's oil supply, sanctions threaten any country sending fuel, Nicaragua closed its migration route, and traditional allies like China and Russia offer only words of support without significant aid.

Could a rafters crisis like 1994 happen again?

Experts like William LeoGrande warn that the current 'collective punishment' could trigger a wave of escapes to Florida, similar to the 1994 balseros crisis when thousands of Cubans took to the sea on makeshift rafts.

What migration options do Cubans have left?

With Nicaragua ending visa-free transit, the CHNV program suspended, and deportations increasing, legal options are extremely limited. The overland route through Central America now requires a visa, and the maritime route remains dangerous.

How does the oil blockade affect everyday life in Cuba?

Canadian and Russian airlines suspended flights due to fuel shortages, the World Food Programme is struggling to operate, and diplomats estimate the humanitarian crisis in cities could worsen within weeks.

Cuba More Isolated Than Ever: Allies Go Silent as Exodus Risk Grows

Cuba faces the deepest isolation in its recent history in February 2026. The combination of the oil blockade imposed by the Trump administration, the silence of former allies, and the closure of migration routes has created a perfect storm that, according to experts, could trigger a mass exodus comparable to the 1994 rafters crisis.

The Oil Blockade Suffocating the Island

Since Washington executed its military operation in Venezuela in early January, Cuba lost its main oil source: the more than 27,000 barrels per day it received from the Chávez-era regime. But the Trump administration went further, threatening tariffs on any nation that supplies fuel to the island.

The results have been devastating. Mexico, which last year had replaced Venezuela as Cuba’s main supplier, stopped sending tankers, although President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the sanctions and sent 800 tons of humanitarian aid. The consequences arrived faster than expected:

Three Canadian airlines suspended flights to Cuba due to lack of aviation fuel
Two Russian airlines did the same and began repatriating travelers
The World Food Programme (WFP) reports difficulties distributing Hurricane Melissa relief
The UK updated its travel advisory to recommend only essential travel

“It’s a matter of weeks,” one Havana-based diplomat warned The Guardian about the impact on urban populations.

Allies Going Silent While Cuba Sinks

The most revealing aspect of this crisis is the response — or lack thereof — from Cuba’s traditional allies. According to an analysis by El País, Havana’s international alliances are crumbling:

Russia has promised financial aid “half-heartedly.” Dmitri Rozental from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Latin America admitted: “It’s very expensive and a logistical problem. I don’t know if we can do much more than moral support.”
China received Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla last week and offered only “kind words.”
Brazil, under Lula, has limited itself to condemning the blockade without concrete action.
Spain has not provided a high-profile response either.

Cuban historian Rafael Rojas of the Colegio de México summarizes it: “There is an erosion of Cuba’s legitimacy on the world stage due to its lack of democracy and systematic repression. The call for solidarity has a very limited effect.”

Nicaragua Closes the Last Land Route

For Cubans seeking to emigrate, the situation is doubly critical. On February 8, Nicaragua eliminated visa-free entry for Cuban citizens, closing the main overland route that since 2021 had allowed hundreds of thousands to transit toward the United States.

This decision, which according to Infobae generated a multimillion-dollar business for the Ortega dictatorship, leaves Cubans with increasingly limited options:

Overland route through Central America: now requires a Nicaraguan consulted visa
CHNV program (humanitarian parole): suspended by the Trump administration
CBP One: eliminated
Maritime route: extremely dangerous, with Coast Guard interceptions

The Ghost of the Rafters

What concerns analysts most is the historical precedent. William LeoGrande, professor at American University and author of Back Channel to Cuba, warns that the current strategy constitutes “collective punishment that represents a violation of international law.”

El País itself recalls that other humanitarian crises on the island have generated waves of escapes to Florida, like the rafters crisis of the 1990s, when more than 35,000 Cubans launched into the Florida Straits on precarious vessels.

The warning signs are troubling:

Nearly 20% of the population has emigrated in recent years
The economy is at its worst point since the 1959 revolution
All legal escape valves are closed or restricted
Fuel is scarce for daily life, not just for travel

Negotiation or Collapse?

There are contradictory signals about Washington’s direction. At the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that giving the Cuban people “more freedom, not just political freedom but economic freedom” could be a path forward. Meanwhile, rumors circulate of secret talks in Mexico between General Alejandro Castro Espín and U.S. officials.

But diplomats in Havana are preparing for the worst. As one ambassador told The Guardian: “Embassies are built on planning for the unexpected — hopefully before it becomes expected.”

For the Cuban diaspora and the thousands still seeking to leave the island, the message is clear: Cuba is more isolated than ever, and migration options are the most restricted in decades. The question is not whether there will be migratory consequences, but when and how dramatic they will be.

Sources: The Guardian, El País, Reuters, Wikipedia.