Miami.-In the last days, the United States government has rejected “dozens of passports” and has suspended the issuance of Visas managed by Cuban state agencies, affecting sectors such as sport, culture, health, education and science, according to a report of The Associated Press.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, confirmed this information to AP, highlighting that the measure directly impacts bilateral exchanges.
“The application mechanism for a group of visa categories that are used for state officials and their dependencies is suspended,” Carlos Fernández de Cossío told AP.
Regarding visa statistics granted to Cuban citizens in recent years, during fiscal year 2023, the United States issued 40,672 immigrant visas for Cubans, an increase of 70% compared to the previous fiscal year, when 23,117 visas were awarded according to Data from the Consular Affairs Office
This increase is framed in a context of significant migration from the island; Since 2022, more than 850,000 Cubans have emigrated. The effective population in Cuba has officially descended more than 9.7 million inhabitants, according to data presented during a meeting For the analysis of demographic dynamics
In addition to annual visas, more than 100,000 thousandscubans have been admitted in the United States under the humanitarian parole program
Precisely due to the high number of Cuban immigrants who have arrived in the country in recent years, exceeding the 50,000 limit that determines the eligibility for the program, the US Department of State. excluded Cuba from the Lottery of Visas of Diversity by 2026
Cuba in the time of Donald Trump
Since his return to the presidency on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump has implemented a series of policies that harden the relationship between the United States and Cuba. One of the first actions was to return to Cuba in the list of sponsoring states of terrorism, reversing the decision of the previous administration. This designation implies additional restrictions in foreign assistance, exports and financial transactions with the island.
In addition, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubiohas reinforced economic sanctions, making it difficult to send remittances to Cuba. Companies such as Western Union have suspended their operations on the island due to the inclusion of Cuban entities (orbit.sa) in the restricted list, which prohibits transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban government.
On the other hand, in the migratory field, the Trump administration has announced plans to house 30,000 illegal immigrants in the Naval Base of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of a broader strategy to address irregular immigration.
These measures reflect a return to more restrictive policies towards Cuba, with an approach in increasing economic pressure and limiting exchanges between the two countries. The first flights with undocumented people, presumably authors of crimes, already landed on the Caribbean island.
