The United States rejected “dozens of passports” and did not grant visas that had been managed by government agencies in recent days, reports a note from the Associated Press (AP) agency.
Among those affected, there would be the basketball team that had to participate in a qualifying party on Sunday in Puerto Rico, recognized the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío.
“We can confirm that in the last hours the United States government returned dozens of passports without visa and said that the application mechanism of a group of visa categories used for state officials and their dependencies is suspended,” the Fernández de Cossío to that agency.
According to the Deputy Minister, this “decision directly affects bilateral exchanges that were taking place in areas of interest and mutual benefit for the peoples of Cuba and the United States, such as culture, health, education, science and sports.”
An unidentified Cuban diplomatic source recounts AP, said that the refusal is due to a disposition from the United States (2020) not to grant visas to countries that do not cooperate with the reception of deported immigrants.
The vice minister said he has no comments when asked if in January or February flights with Cubans deported by the Trump administration had been received.
