As officials in Costa Rica work on a “Plan C” to allow stranded Cuban migrants to reach their desired destination in the United States, desperation is being felt across the various shelters in the northern region of the country.

Nearly 5,000 stranded Cubans are currently sheltered in Costa Rica; their situation has been exacerbated by the actions of the government of Nicaragua against them. Whereas Costa Rica granted them humanitarian passage and even transit visas to make their trip official, Nicaragua deployed armed soldiers to intercept them and push them back with tear gas.

Costa Rica pitched a Plan B to Belize for the purpose of allowing the Cubans, many of them traveling in families with young children, to allow them safe passage; alas, the Belize Press Office issued the following statement yesterday, signed by their Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Situation of the Cuban Immigrants Transiting through Central America

Belmopan. December 8th, 2015. The Cabinet of the Government of Belize met today to discuss the proposal presented by the Government of Costa Rica for Belize to facilitate the mobility of Cuban immigrants currently stranded at the Costa Rica – Nicaragua Border.

After careful consideration the Cabinet is of the view that this is a regional problem. As such the Government of Belize is prepared to participate in a regional discussion to identify the necessary mechanisms to address the Cuban immigrants transiting through the region. At this juncture, the Government of Belize is unable to make any commitments outside of a regional arrangement.

For some stranded Cubans, Plan C would be staying in Costa Rica. Reports filed by daily tabloid Diario Extra indicate that about a handful of the sheltered Cubans wish to stay in our country; most are single young men who have been enthralled by the beauty of our women. Likewise, a few female migrants have caught the eye of men in Guanacaste; thus, marriage to a Costa Rican citizen is an option that has been considered by about 0.10 percent of the stranded Cubans thus far.

For the rest of the migrants, they have longed crossed the point of no return; their only goal is to reach the United States. The current Plan C may involve a humanitarian airlift of the migrants to Guatemala, a nation that would like an official guarantee from Mexico that the Cubans will be allowed to continue on their way north.