The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, lamented this Wednesday the death of more than 50 migrants who were hidden in inhumane conditions in a truck on the outskirts of San Antonio, in the US state of Texas.
The fact has provoked numerous reactions inside and outside the United States, and has revived the debate on irregular immigration in that country.
“The loss of human lives in an incident in Texas, associated with the illegal smuggling of migrants, is very unfortunate,” Díaz-Canel wrote on Twitter, while considering that “this tragic event responds to the discriminatory treatment with which the United States applies its immigration policy”.
In addition, the president of the Island sent condolences to the families of the victims.
The loss of human lives in an incident in Texas, associated with the illegal trafficking of migrants, is very regrettable. This tragic event responds to the discriminatory treatment with which the US applies its immigration policy. Our condolences go out to the families of the victims.
– Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) June 29, 2022
The number of other migrants who were in the truck and are treated in hospitals amounts to 16, according to the media.
The Mexican authorities pointed out that the fact reflects the record migratory flow to the United States, where more than 1.7 million undocumented immigrants were detected on the border with Mexico in fiscal year 2021, which ended on September 30, according to a report from the spanish agency EFE.
Hours before Díaz-Canel’s tweet, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had accused the United States government of promoting irregular migration by putting economic pressure on the island and managing the issue politically.
“The management for political purposes of migratory relations with Cuba by the US government, together with the maximum economic pressure, constitute stimuli for irregular migration, human trafficking and associated organized crime, with serious consequences”, considered the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The management for political purposes of migratory relations with #Cuba by the US government, together with the maximum economic pressure, constitute incentives for irregular migration, human trafficking and associated organized crime, with serious consequences.
– Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) June 29, 2022
The Cuban government points to the Cuban Adjustment Act as a reason for the island’s citizens to try to reach US territory irregularly. This regulation allows access to permanent residence in the United States to Cubans who remain at least one year in its territory.
Havana has repeatedly accused Washington of promoting migratory flows and of failing to comply with bilateral agreements on this matter, it points out. EFE, medium that points out that “experts link the increase in the departure of Cubans in the first place with the serious economic crisis that Cuba is going through”.
According to the Spanish agency, the United States Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, 140,602 migrants from the Island have arrived in that territory.
The figure indicates EFEexceeds the largest exodus of Cubans to date, in 1980, when 125,000 people left through the port of Mariel in just seven months.
EFE / OnCuba
