An assault rifle is painted on the wall of an abandoned building in Isabela de Sagua, Cuba, January 28, 2023. This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores. The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare. "Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave."  REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA MIGRATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Children riding bicycles pass by an abandoned building in Isabela de Sagua, Cuba, January 28, 2023. This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores. The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare. "Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave."  REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA MIGRATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Children play on the street in Isabela de Sagua, Cuba, January 28, 2023. This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores. The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare. "Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave."  REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA MIGRATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

People drink in a bar in Isabela de Sagua, Cuba, January 27, 2023. This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores. The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare. "Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave." REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA MIGRATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A pelican swims beside fishing boats docked in Isabela de Sagua, Cuba, January 28, 2023. This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores. The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare. "Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave."  REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini SEARCH "MENEGHINI CUBA MIGRATION" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Volunteers give free foods for migrant workers from Myanmar who lost their jobs following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand April 23, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun 

A migrant worker from Myanmar poses with free food received from volunteers following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand April 23, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun 

A migrant worker is pictured at a dormitory declared as an isolation area, during the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) in Singapore April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su 

A migrant worker walks among foundation pilings to spray oil on stagnant water to prevent mosquito breeding at a construction site that has stopped work since the "circuit breaker" measures to curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su 

A migrant worker with his face covered by a protective mask sleeps inside a sports complex turned into a shelter, during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New Delhi, India, April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi 

An Israeli power distribution plant is seen in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma 

Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, looks on after placing a large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, places a large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, looks on after placing a large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, places a large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

A large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag is placed by Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

Roberto Marquez, also known as Robenz, looks on after placing a large banner in the likeness of the U.S. flag in protest of the latest migration agreement between Mexico and the United States, near a border wall in El Paso, Texas, as pictured from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 9, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

Every few minutes, the reeds along the Tachira River rustle. Smugglers, in ever growing numbers, emerge with a ragtag group of Venezuelan migrants - men struggling under tattered suitcases, women hugging bundles in blankets and schoolchildren carrying backpacks. They step across rocks, wade into the muddy stream and cross illegally into Colombia. This is the new migration from Venezuela. For years, as conditions worsened in the Andean nation's ongoing economic meltdown, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans - those who could afford to - fled by airplane and bus to other countries far and near, remaking their lives as legal immigrants. Now, hyperinflation, daily power cuts and worsening food shortages are prompting those with far fewer resources to flee, braving harsh geography, criminal handlers and increasingly restrictive immigration laws to try their luck just about anywhere. In recent weeks, Reuters spoke with dozens of Venezuelan migrants traversing their country's Western border to seek a better life in Colombia and beyond. Few had more than the equivalent of a handful of dollars with them. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "MIGRANT TACHIRA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Matching text: VENEZUELA-MIGRATION/ TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier and German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil attend a news conference on migration in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier and German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil arrive for a news conference on migration in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier and German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil arrive for a news conference on migration in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier and German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil attend a news conference on migration in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke 

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier and German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil attend a news conference on migration in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke 

Jose Manuel Abel, 52, cleans a table in the restaurant where he works as a waiter in Chipiona, southern Spain, August 23, 2018. Abel bade farewell to his wife and children and left his native Spain in 2012 after losing his job. He spent six years in Germany doing low-paid work before returning home last year. He now has a temporary job as a waiter, working 17 hours a day, but he expects to be laid off once the summer tourists stop coming to Chipiona. "I'm working as a waiter and I don't have a problem with that because I think that any kind of job is respectable," Abel said. "I have studies, training and I intend to use them in the future." Abel is also working with friends to set up a local political party which will contest municipal elections in 2019. "I don't want my sons to suffer and live what I had to live through," he said. "I don't want them to migrate and look for a job opportunity away from this marvellous place." REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo SEARCH "LEHMAN 10" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

German customs officers walk through Cologne's main railways station during a raid looking for illegal workers in restaurants, at constructions sites and in the logistics sector in Cologne, Germany September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay 

European Investment Fund CEO Pier Luigi Gilibert (R), EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos (C) and National Bank of Greece CEO Leonidas Fragiadakis pose for a picture after the European Investment Fund signed three loan guarantee agreements with Greece's National Bank to provide funding to small and medium-sized businesses, in Athens, Greece, April 16, 2018. REUTERS/George Georgiopoulos 

Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Greece's Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras, Nigeria's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and William Lacy Swing, Director-General of International Organization for Migration (IOM) attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse 

A woman dries her shoes under a high-speed railway bridge at a village, which is mainly inhabited by migrant workers, in Tongzhou district of Beijing, China December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee 

A dog looks on amid the debris of demolished low-cost dwellings under a high-speed railway bridge at a village, which is mainly inhabited by migrant workers, in Tongzhou district of Beijing, China December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee 

An abandoned potted plant is pictured amid the debris of demolished low-cost dwellings near apartment blocks under construction at a village, which is mainly inhabited by migrant workers, in Tongzhou district of Beijing, China December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee 

Beds are seen in a room that used to be inhabited by migrant workers in a low-cost dormitory that has been cut off from water and electricity supply in Beijing, China, December 14, 2017. Picture taken December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

A candle stands on a table in a room that used to be inhabited by migrant workers in a low-cost dormitory that has been cut off from water and electricity supply in Beijing, China, December 14, 2017. Picture taken December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

Beds are seen in a room that used to be inhabited by migrant workers in a low-cost dormitory that has been cut off from water and electricity supply in Beijing, China, December 14, 2017. Picture taken December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

Countries across Latin America and beyond have received a growing number of Venezuelans fleeing economic hardship, crime and what critics call an increasingly authoritarian government. The once-prosperous country, home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, is struggling with a profound recession, widespread unemployment, chronic shortages and inflation that the opposition-led Congress said could soon top 2,000 percent. As conditions there worsen, nearby cities like Brazilian city of Boa Vista are struggling with one of the biggest migrations in recent Latin American history. With limited infrastructure, social services and jobs to offer migrants, Brazilian authorities fear a full-fledged humanitarian crisis. In Roraima, the rural state of which Boa Vista is the capital, the governor last week decreed a "social emergency," putting local services on alert for mounting health and security demands. Not even Venezuela's government knows for certain how many of its 30 million people have fled in recent years. Some sociologists have estimated the number to be as high as 2 million, although President Nicolas Maduro's leftist government disputes that figure. Some migrants in Boa Vista are finding ways to get by, finding cheap accommodation or lodging in the few shelters, like a local gym, that authorities have provided. Others wander homeless, some turning to crime, like prostitution, adding law enforcement woes to the social challenges. REUTERS/Nacho Doce SEARCH "VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

The power lines cut by security guards of village are pictured at an apartment for migrant worker as residents are required to move out due to a citywide fire safety inspection prompted by a deadly fire in an apartment block at Xinjiancun, in Picun village on the outskirts of Beijing, China November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee 

A migrant worker examines a lettuce at a farm in Kent, Britain July 24, 2017. Picture taken July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall 

Myanmar migrant workers sort shrimp at a wholesale market for shrimp and other seafood in Mahachai, in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, July 4, 2017. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom 

Myanmar migrant workers sort shrimp at a wholesale market for shrimp and other seafood in Mahachai, in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, July 4, 2017. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom 

A construction site where a church for migrants is being built is seen in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico May 22, 2017. Picture taken May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez 

A Rohingya man stands at a fish market inside a refugee camp in Sitwe, in the state of Rakhine, Myanmar March 2, 2017. Picture taken March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun 

A Turkish military watchtower is seen through the barbed wire of a fence in Orestiada, Greece, February 6, 2012. REUTERS/Vassilis Ververidis/Motion Team/File Photo 

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks during a high-level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants at the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 19, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks during a high-level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants at the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 19, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wave to her during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, outside Bangkok, Thailand. REUTERS/Jorge Silva 

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wait to see her past during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, outside Bangkok, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wait to see her past during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, outside Bangkok, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi push against a line of Thai soldiers to see her past during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva 

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi push against a line of Thai soldiers to see her past during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva 

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi push against a line of Thai soldiers to see her past during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wave to her during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wave to her during a meeting at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, outside Bangkok, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wait to meet her at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers supporting Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi wait to meet her at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Migrant workers, supporters of Myanmar Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, arrive to meet her at the coastal fishery centre of Samut Sakhon, Thailand June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Laundry is seen hung out to dry outside an accommodation for migrant workers in Labor City, Qatar, January 13, 2016. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon/File Photo 

French President Francois Hollande (L) attends a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an European Union leaders summit over migration in Brussels, Belgium, March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane de Sakutin/Pool 

French President Francois Hollande (L) attends a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an European Union leaders summit over migration in Brussels, Belgium, March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane de Sakutin/Pool 

French President Francois Hollande (L) attends a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an European Union leaders summit over migration in Brussels, Belgium, March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane de Sakutin/Pool 

Jiang Shuaihui, 25, a migrant worker from Henan province plays video games in a room he is renting for 200 RMB/month (30 USD) in Tongzhou district of Beijing, China February 25, 2016. Three months after coming to Beijing from the southern China, Jiang Shuaihui finally found a job as a phone operator and will start his training next week. A whole generation of Chinese youth raised in a miracle economy over the past decade tilt headlong into a period of material uncertainty as jobs come less easily. As China’s annual parliament sessions kick off next month, the Communist Party will unveil its Five-Year Plan widely expected to outline additional measures to help create jobs and strategies to soothe the sting of massive layoffs as the economy corrects its past excesses and moves away from traditional heavy industries such as coal and steel. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES