The second meeting this year between Cuba and the United States on migration issues focused Tuesday on “guaranteeing safe, regular and humane migration,” announced a statement of the Department of State.
At the meeting, which was held in the Cuban capital, the US delegation highlighted areas of successful cooperation on migration, and at the same time identified issues that have represented obstacles to the fulfillment of the objectives established in the bilateral agreements signed between the United States and Cuba. in 1984, 1994, 1995 and 2017.
The note stresses that “participating in these talks demonstrates our commitment to engage in constructive dialogue with the Cuban government, when appropriate, to promote US interests. The United States also addressed the consular services at the embassy in Havana, which will include visa services and services for US citizens, which will begin to function as of January 4th.
According to the US side, the objective of the meeting was “to facilitate family reunification and promote greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.”
The US embassy in Havana issues a statement on the visit of two officials
The meeting was attended by, among others, the Deputy Undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Emily Mendrala, who led the delegation, made up of officials from all agencies related to immigration and reception of people.
On the Cuban side, as usual, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, was in charge.
During the fiscal year that ended on September 30, US authorities detained 221,000 Cubans at the southern border, an increase of 471% over the previous year, according to data from the US Customs and Border Protection Office. In September alone, more than 26,000 Cubans appeared before the US authorities at different points along the border with Mexico, according to the latest available figures.
Last week, the director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, Ur Mendoza Jaddou, and the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, were also in Havana to discuss consular and immigration issues with MINREX officials.
Technical details of the resumption of the full visa processing operation starting in January were discussed at today’s meeting, US authorities said.
At the end, the Cuban vice minister was preparing to give a press conference.
Note under construction…
