Mexico and Havana agree to regularize the entry of Cubans into national territory

Emir Olivares Alonso

Newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, April 7, 2022, p. 13

The governments of Mexico and Cuba evaluated the behavior of the migratory flow between the two countries and committed to strengthening their cooperation to guarantee regular, orderly and safe mobilization.

At the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), a high-level meeting was held in which factors unrelated to the bilateral relationship on the matter were analyzed, such as the irregular mobilization of hundreds of Cubans heading to Mexico with the intention of arrive in the United States, motivated above all by the policies privileged that the White House has historically maintained to accept people from the island.

According to official figures, from January 1 to March 7 of this year there were returned to the island 626 Cubans who entered Mexico irregularly.

Yesterday, during the 15th round of talks on migration issues between Mexico and the Republic of Cuba, the two delegations analyzed compliance with the memorandum of understanding on the matter as an effective mechanism to deal with the phenomenon, combat smuggling and human trafficking, as well such as promoting strategies aimed at the proper treatment of migrants and respect for their human rights, reported the island’s embassy in our country.

The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, and by the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Maximiliano Reyes Zúñiga.

It is known that a good part of the Cubans who move to Mexican territory do not have the purpose of migrating to Mexico. Their goal is to settle in the United States, responding to the encouragement that has historically existed on the part of the US government for our citizens to migrate to its territory, especially if they do so irregularly. That is part of the reality that we must face and in that context this conversation has taken placeFernandez de Cossío asserted at the end of the meeting.

In his statements, released by the diplomatic representation of his country in Mexico, the Cuban official recalled that the US authorities allow the entry of Cubans who move irregularly and a year after their arrival gives them the possibility of obtaining residency, benefit that is not offered to citizens of any other country.

He also referred to the pressures that the White House has exercised so that the governments of the region demand transit visas from travelers coming from the island, as well as the non-compliance, for five years, of the migratory agreements with Cuba to grant 20,000 annual visas to Cubans, hindering regular migration and promoting movement without documents.