Thousands of Cubans stranded after Nicaragua declines to open border

Thousands of Cubans remain stuck on the Costa Rican side of the border with Nicaragua after Managua refused at a regional summit on Tuesday to open its doors to a wave of migrants heading for the United States.

Fearing the recent rapprochement between Havana and Washington could end preferential US policies for Cuban migrants, thousands of people from the island have been crossing into South America and traveling through Central America hoping to reach US soil.

More than 3,000 Cubans have been stopped for days at the Costa Rican border after the Nicaraguan government shut its borders, denying them passage north through the country. At least 150 Cubans are arriving every day, exacerbating the problem.