In the meeting on emigration with the United States, the Cuban government presented in Washington this Wednesday the criteria that had advanced, that is, what he values as measures to stimulate illegal migration, the need to grant non-immigrant visas again and the asylum granted to a Cuban pilot who took an agricultural aircraft to Florida, indicated the Foreign Ministry in a statement.
In another communiqué, Washington mentioned the positive aspects in the application of the migration agreements as one of the topics of discussion and other less happy aspects, but did not specify more details.
“Compliance with the bilateral Migration Agreements was reviewed, the purpose of which is to guarantee regular, safe and orderly migration. Cuba reaffirmed its willingness to comply and respect, as it has done up to now, the commitments established”, and also, “reiterated its concern about the measures to stimulate illegal migration. Special emphasis is placed on the negative impact that the economic blockade of the United States and the extreme reinforcement measures applied since 2019 have on the socioeconomic conditions of the Cuban population, a factor that constitutes an important incentive for migration”, indicates the Cuban note.
“The preferential treatment still received by Cubans who enter US territory illegally and the validity of the Cuban Adjustment Act are also incentives,” he added.
In the conversations, the Cuban delegation “reiterated the importance of reestablishing the processing of non-immigrant visas at the US Embassy in Havana,” because “after 6 years, the obligation to travel to a third country is inexplicable to the Cuban citizen to obtain a visa when there is an Embassy and a Consulate in Cuba and the falsehood of the causes that were alleged to close such services in Cuba has been demonstrated,” the Cuban statement underlines.
On the US side, “the areas of successful cooperation on migration were highlighted, while the issues that have been obstacles to meeting the objectives of the Agreements were identified. Participation in these talks underscores our commitment to hold constructive talks with Cuba when appropriate to advance the interests of the United States,” said the State Department statement.
And he stresses: “guaranteeing safe, orderly, humane and regular migration between Cuba and the United States continues to be a mutual interest of both countries and is consistent with the interests of the United States to foster family reunification and promote greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba”.
The Washington delegation was chaired by the Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere of the Department of Homeland Security, David Cloe, and the Cuban delegation by Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío.
