The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants in Cuba to Palestinian refugees, inferring both are homeless wanderers.
[1][2][3][4] Since the conclusion of the Cuban Revolution, there have been regular debates as to whether there should be official controls on migration to Havana.
[7] In 1997, a new law went into effect which allowed the government to evict all people without a formal permit to live in the capital.
However, many migrants constructed squatters' settlements in Havana, and since they are barred from official jobs, work in the black market.
As such, many of the citizens who flood tourist areas turn to illicit alternatives such as prostitution or unlicensed self-employment (often offer taxi services, currency exchange, host casas particulares, etc.