this year. ah, the washing out to say, let's take a look at the headlines now. the u. s. house of representatives is in its 4th day of voting for its speaker republican nominee. kevin mccarthy has failed. the 13th time to win a majority house has agend until 3 a. m g m t. my kind of reports from capitol hill. around 12 there was a glimmer of hope from a coffee in that 14 of the ultra conservative switched and costly a boat in his favor. assuming that there was a fracturing in that action, which has been constantly opposed to his voting in as the speaker of the house. but in the next round, he got one more boat. but then there's still some 6 ultra conservatives who are continuing to hold out. and while they do so, it's quite simple. mccarthy cannot get the majority needed to become a speaker of the house. yet he remains confident that this is going to happen when the house convenes in a few hours time. meanwhile, members of the us house of representatives gathered on the steps of the capital building to remember the journey to fix the attack. 2 years ago, they paid tribute to the officers who kept them safe and remembered the 5 people who died. israel has announced sanctions on the palestinian authority off it pushed the un highest judicial body to give its opinion on the israeli occupation. the decision was taken at the 1st security cabinet meeting of the new government. artillery fire has been heard in ukraine despite the schedule start with 36 hour unilateral cease bar code by russian president vladimir putin. ukraine rejected the offer and both sides are accusing each other of continuing the shelling the temporary truces to coincide of the orthodox christmas holiday. and 23 rebels have handed back an important military base in eastern democratic republic of congo to government forces. its latest move by the group to fulfill its pledge to withdraw from territories seized in recent months. but the rebels having gaining ground elsewhere and california is bracing for another round of severe weather. pacific storms have been lashing the us state this week, causing major flooding and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes. this is the headlines and he's continues. heron elders are off the inside story to stay with us. with a record number of cubans left their homeland last year to get into the united states. the president joe biden is bringing in laws to make that harder for most of them. so what's causing this mass exodus and can conditions change for the people of cuba? this is inside story. ah hello there and welcome to the program. i'm laura kyle huber saw as large as departure of people last year since fidel castro's revolution in the 1950s most headed for the us over the border with mexico along with many thousands from other countries. migration has become something of a political crisis for the white house. and president joe biden has announced new measures. more visas will be granted for some going through official channels. but those who simply turn up at the border will be immediately turned away. the level reports from miami ah, a new year new arrivals and a new plan by president joe biden, aimed at slowing the rising tide of migrants trying to answer the us illegally. today, my administration is taking several steps to stiff an enforcement for those who try to come without a legal right to stay and to put in place a faster processor. and as a faster process to decide a claim of asylum that you measure would create a legal opiate narrow pathway for the growing number of cubans, nicaraguans and haitians making their way north of to $30000.00 migrants a month. those with sponsors and to pass background checks will be allowed into the u. s. to live and to work the 2 years. but they will have to travel by plane. if they try to smuggle themselves in by land or by say, and get caught, they will be bought. this week, the arrival of hundreds of migrants from cuba forced the closure of a national park of the coast of florida. on thursday, they were moved to the u. s, milan and another measure aimed at reducing the number of illegal migrants. the u. s. is just resumed visa concert at services in cuba. it's hoping more people will follow this legitimate route instead. if you are in a burning building, it does not seem right to say, but before he jumped from the 2nd floor, please go to your computer, get online, schedule an interview, go to the conflict, come back to the burning building. wait for a couple of months and then you can jump right when somebody has to flee to be alive, they have to flee, and our systems have to honor and recognize that context. the new policy has the land border firmly and its sites. but in florida, where the border is at the water, the question is, how will it work here? all di, economic conditions in cuba, a largely to blame for the population's mass departure more than 220000 cubans arrived at the border between the us and mexico over the past year. that's nearly 6 times as many in the previous year. many her fled because of sources and food medicine and power. after former president donald trump tightened sanctions on cuba in 2019 a trade embargo brought in by president john f. kennedy has also been in place for 60 years. the pandemic had a devastating impact on cuba tourism industry. it was a vital source of revenue that came to a standstill. and in july 2021. the biggest protest since cuba revolution in the late 19 fifties broke out over the government's handling of the economic crisis and the pandemic, the widespread crackdown that followed added to those wanting to leave. ah, let's bring in our guests now. rosa maria pyre, founder of cuba, decide a movement to change political and economic systems in cuba towards democracy. she joins us from miami, helen, yeah, fi as senior electra in economic and social history at the university of glasgow. she joins us from there and 20th via skype from washington. d. c is andrew seeley. he's president of the migration policy institute. i one welcome to all of you, rosa maria. we outlined there. some of the reasons why people leave cuba. so called push factors, but why did we see such a rise in numbers over the past year? well, we have a strain, it's not only economical prices, they oh, each season in the, in the, in the going to have been doing that in the last year or, and medicines in the pharmacy. they have, they have to find for medical attention, people in many, many years that they've gone to start in. but in a lease and increase and increase. we say that they are more than $1000.00 a year. if you all a know that we have a thought that the only thing that for me is to, well, a why that people is k, a r a means it say, wait a day, you know, people come in that change actually in the last year at least $3000.00 a year. they were brought in september last year that you like 2021 on now you know what that is? not b. now ray. so go to bob. and they are in november of 2021. when the, if you only care she a law, i remove that he says, for a, for 2 months. from that day to next deal. now actually november 2020 . wow. jill and december last year. more than, more than $200.00. 67000. you sell them of the we are coming up more than 2 percent. even population escaping ever escaping their easton but all being well. but i do know the math on a day, you go in there, do blood pressure over to you as a government you been doing that stands for 60 ok under before we address many of those are the points that raise. maria brought up the i just want to make clear this nicaragua element because it did seem to be a key factor in the past years. migration push wasn't at this opening up of transit between cuba and nicaragua. the fact that cubans could leave to correct you without a visa or easily obtain a visa and then travel by land across the u. s. this was a major route for cubans to be able to take yes, this has become the principal route. i mean, we have seen some people leaving on my boat as well, directly from cuba, but the primary route has been people find in nicaragua because they no longer need to be. and there are charter companies that have started doing multiple flights a day from, from that to another place, actually to, to managua. and then people hire a smuggler and head or sometimes go on their own for pieces of entire smuggler, for pieces in head up to the us border until yesterday us was allowing almost all cubans in. there's also no deportation agreement with you. but right now is part of the many problems in the relation to the diplomatic relationship between the 2 countries. so you have a situation where somebody is that where people are desperate, where people, you know, have lost hope in the future of the country and economic situation. is bad, political situation is bad. you have the possibility of getting out. there's a route that opened up and you know, if you make it to us, we're in there. the danger is, you know, i mean, this is a dangerous journey, even with the smuggler. there's lots of danger from organized crime, but if you make it to the us border, at least until yesterday, we're pretty much we're getting into the united states and that's a risk. a lot of people really to take a, she's at more than 2 percent of population. that risk. why do you think cuba and the correct you have to open up that rate you know it, it could be you can read it one of 2 ways and they are not mutually exclusive. i mean, one is the nicaraguan needed human tourism, which is probably true at the end of it. i mean, they were desperate also for, for tourists and human tours are important for look, i, you know, both the cuban in nicaragua, governments are also looking to leverage their relationship, leverage, migration and the relationship with us government. and their figuring that the more this becomes a, a bigger crisis are politically in the united states for joe biden. then they will probably be able to negotiate something with them. i think it worked out for you there are talks going on in may not be just because of this, but there have been parts going on between us in cuba does not seem to work out for or any ortega nicaragua, that's not going anywhere. but i'm sure whether that was the original intention or not. it certainly became a side benefit and it may well have been part of the original legend is knowing that this one would cause political havoc in the u. s. and would bring the u. s. to negotiate, alan, do you see the major push factors being as res maria says, people escaping tara, getting away from a dictatorship? or is it the economic factors, the di, economic conditions that people are living and without hope of them improving in the near future? what is the major push back to them from cuba? there is no doubt that most of these are enormous migrants as they all over latin america. and i mean, you know, here in britain we also have experience masses increase in illegal immigration from people who are desperate to improve their life. now at the top of this, you have a price on someone talking about will have being on fire. but we should step back a little and say, well, who has set the cuban house on via and the cuban house has being set on fire, as you said in your introduction, not just through the most comprehensive and longer enduring of sanctions, of sanctions regime against one single country that you're not located against cuba, but since 2019 the trunk administration pursued a maximum pressure strategy in order to make buys on bearable cubans. and i agree with that. there was scarcity of basic my medicine and this to the country, which is prior to the topic capacity to produce almost 70 percent of the medicines it consumes domestically. so you have this terrible call to me. you have to buy a leading figure in biotech sector. the only country in latin america and the caribbean was the capacity to parade its own kind of 19 back, but then unable for several months to administer that same which was linked to the 11th of july process, which is also mentioned because it couldn't access syringes. why? because global syringe production is dominated by the united states. now the extent of sanctions has become absolutely suffocating cookie. but so let me give you example. i'm a british citizen in britain. if i send a one time transaction to a european bank account using the what that transaction is currently blocked. so, you know, the question is, with the shortage is how can you get the necessities that the cuban people are accustomed to having and need when they can use the international financial system? because all sanctions, so it's a very complicated problem. but we need to look pools and not just unreason. maria, to what extent do you agree with that, that united states sanctions? it's longstanding, trade embargo. all of this has created the cube that we have today and created the situation that is pushing so many people to leave. well, i don't, i don't what i medicine for you. that is that it wasn't bad. actually they do that. and then a united states, you know, united nations united states. and i believe that i also offer cuba by either now doing a more hi home in the monday and the human with that help because they, they keep on people. is that what they show in the moment they refuse these things or not i, they told their a date on that actually no i, they both will know missed a b, b. i used to use that. is them by my edition. do every guy that is, wow, this fun right now. if you, if you've ever been demanded in the say i didn't, they have possible me a now, why are they in that amount in the end of the bible, they are demanding the end of the day. and the end of the day we are, we have the right to the side. i did you sign a buyers only dictatorship for more than 60. i'm just going to jump in the room or if they get a chance to respond because she has a point, doesn't she? let's look at the recent protests in 2021. to 700, i rested from those protest in human rights. i was actually i, i was in cuba, 11th of july, i believe that maria was, and i've written about my experience and also about these phenomenal many media manipulation that happened. there was a plaque to flow from somebody as an organization that seem to have been prepared for those demonstrations. and there's a lot of evidence back to yeah about, you know, the, we have to, we have to recognize that the united states congress. and this is code, but i would definitely agree funds and $20000000.00 every year, what they call democracy promotion regime. now the cubans of calls cool this regime change regime. but we have to recognize that that's a lot of money i'm. it is being challenge to channels to people who are proponents over transition to democracy at, sorry, i transitioned to capitalism because i really need you if you're going to go for each other. i'm of lightly different debates and the one that we thought about from we're not going to be debating regime change in cuba. i have just one moment i want to bring in and try and get the conversation back a little bit onto migration because we still need to look at the u. s. changing policy towards people who want to go to the u. s. and andrew, let's ask a very basic question here. should mass migration be brought to an end or shouldn't be encouraged? what is the right answer if people want to leave cuba, should they be allowed to or should they be stopped? and yeah, it's a complicated question. it depends on who you ask. i mean, i, you know, i think you could, a lot of cubans would like to leave you know, i, on the other hand, the u. s. ready political system, you know, at some point, reaches a breaking point when there's a perception that there is no order at the border. and so that, you know, there is a, you know, there's conflicting ideas. i think there is a lot of people leave you to leave really and go where they wish, but in the end, countries are the other thing that changed. let me just go back to the migration part. i mean, isn't that change is that the u. s. closed down, it's console it a few years ago. actually before the 2900 sanctions. this was somewhat separate. it was part of the hardening of the policy for it, but it was also a result of the specific incident where a lot of u. s embassy employees and culture employees were, were getting headaches and this year is illness. and no one knew it was caused by the yes was down. what that meant is, per year, is there existed legal pathways for humans to get to united states, a lottery $20000.00 cubans a year to go through a watery united states. another $45000.00 a year. we're going to the diversity visa and, and many more. we're actually going through family additions, right, people being, being requested by family members to get a green card to come to united states. so there are lots of reasons for humans to wait around for their legal turn. it states building the pro, down is all the legal pathways. right. and so yesterday to actually 2 days ago, the u. s. restarting counselor processing in havana. it remains to be seen how effective this will be. i mean i, i think if you see that the u. s. is, is, again, processing people, not just the program was announced yesterday that actually some minor cubans, but the lottery system, the family reunification, b, l. a sponsorship system which allows people waiting for their, their family unification petition to come to the us earlier in the diversity says, many people might be willing to wait for legal term because there are legal trends to cut. what are, what happened is people lost the legal opportunity come to the u. s. nicaragua opened the process to come to nicaragua without a b. d. u. s. wasn't returning people and people that look, things are really bad. this is my time to go on and i don't have another alternative. i'm going now, that's a hell of that. would you agree with that? that the opening of the counseling office there in about it? it's a step, isn't it? in the right direction. if you're looking to improve relations between cuba and the u. s. yes, i think, but i wanted to add, i mean, they respect huge full factor for cubans going to the united states. so they have something called cuban adjustment, which is pulse and, and $966.00 and updated a decade later. and basically, it says, but, and any cuban arriving in the united states legally own all legal entry, hold or not. and so on and say, pull off the one year, you know, claim that residency in the united states now they all the enemy, citizens around the wells that have that privilege. and it's a very big pullback also means there are many cubans settled in the united states. so when time get hot, they have the capacity to lead. many of the cubans, her left in our parents, had time for cuba, had started to invest in small businesses and so on. during the brief approach. mom on the, the, by my wife will buy them with my president. and the other thing is that they have these a full, the given them, the united states west, they won the united states, agreed to supply 20000 visas for cubans, travelling to states, all sorts of reasons. and they never really met that target. but in the last 5 years is as the speaker was saying, they basically closed down the coast and not being issuing not issuing visa. so there. 7 are some very simple sets but could be taken by the us administration. this is one very small one, but it takes them a long time by then, you know, many people thought that he would revive the trauma measures and go back to the policy. and indeed, he suggested that campaign during his campaign, an actual campaign, but he hasn't done that. he's taken, you know, this is an important step. but there's a huge fan of a people who want to go and see a relative or even scientist trying through enter that goal. and so i have conferences and cooperation academic culture. so it's all being frozen and it's creat, see that backlog and association of people who may have very in also personal reasons or intellectual scientific reasons to go to the united states and haven't been able to. and that is why i talk about the ha, the house being set on fire, because the sanctions have created this economic hardship. and then, you know, if anyone is using cuba migrate, migrants as a whole, arguably it's the united states which i've been fulfilling. ok rosa maria. what do you welcome these changes the of the biden administration, allowing and 30000 people a month, but expelling another 30000 people who don't have the correct paperwork. do you welcome the opening of a constant office and havana? the improvement of ties, is that something that you that many in the diaspora want to see happen for many years now, especially since we have been rising our voice. i donder situations that a it, when you do it by food or when you do it by the c is equal or so in that radar they off, you need to be able to integrate a safe way is something that we see we don't know. i don't, i don't think i was anyone actually that get the sounding board? is it in a humane? we have to understand that, and in this case is people is kaden, is escaping, for at least what when they cannot eat or what that security already is in there. i'm going to get with thing that they all been in new ways. they already a is now, that's not to say that is a duty problem because the problem is got it. and this because the real conflict is not to be doing a review and the next day or we have that is between a whole nation. they think of something that was that was there anything that had been denied for more than that? okay, so if they go that they want to help they to decide that help in the math or reading a course. the thing that i, we do apologise, we do have to leave it then we may have to leave it on disagreement as to why people want to leave cuba, but perhaps agreement that people must be allowed to do it. should they want to in a humane fashion? thank you very much, rosemary pyre, haven't afy and andrew silly for joining us today on our discussion. thank you. and thank you to for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website. that's our desert dot com and to further discussion, do go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com forward slash ha inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter handle is at a j inside story for me, laura kyle and the whole team here. it's bye for now. ah and the american people have spoken, but what exactly did they say? is the world looking for a whole new order with less america in it? is the woke agenda on the decline in america. how much is social media companies know about you? and how easy is it to manipulate the quizzical look us politics? the bottom line, there is no channel that covers world views like we do. the scale of this camp is like nothing you've ever seen access to health care. what we want to know is how do these things affect people? we revisit places, state, even when there are no international headline houses, there are really invest in that. and that's the privilege as a journalist lou.