Hundreds of Cubans gathered on Monday near the Costa Rican consulate in Havana, upon learning that the country had imposed a transit visa on them, complicating their plans to emigrate to Nicaragua.
Since Nicaragua eliminated the visa for Cubans in November, many islanders try to emigrate through Costa Rica to reach the United States, or go to buy products that they resell on the island, immersed in a severe shortage of food and medicine.
Annoyed Cubans launched multiple claims to a street of the consulate, because the police prevented them from approaching the consular representation.
Visa for citizens of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua
Costa Rica now requires visas from Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans who want to enter the country. The measure of the Directorate of Immigration and Immigration came into force from this Monday. According to the director of the agency of the Central American country, Raquel Vargas, the decision promotes “orderly, safe and regular migration.”
“Transit visa from February 21, 2022”, reads a small circular hanging on the fence of the consulate, located on 5th Avenue in Miramar, an elegant neighborhood in Havana.
“Applies to all nationals of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela who must enter the international airports of Costa Rica in order to change aircraft and/or airline for a maximum period of 12 hours,” the message indicates.
Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in 27 years, dragged down by the drop in tourism during the pandemic and by the tightening of the embargo imposed by the United States, which aggravated the shortage.
“This is not done to anyone because, how many thousands of dollars have we invested?” Dainerys García, a 37-year-old manicurist who arrived with her husband on Monday morning from the province of Holguín, told AFP. eastern Cuba, and ate a snack on the lawn.
Given the limited supply of direct flights to Managua, the couple would fly to Cancun on Tuesday morning, from where they would travel without leaving the airport to San José, Costa Rica and then to El Salvador to finally go to Nicaragua. A journey that cost them more than 3,000 dollars each.
“We found out through the networks, we came today to see if we have any last-minute changes and we find ourselves here full of people.” Many of those who attended “flew today, went to the airport and were told that they were not going to be allowed to fly,” they add disconcerted, doubting that they can reschedule their entire itinerary.
“They close all the doors to us Cubans,” said another young man from the central province of Sancti Spirits who in four days would have to fly to Nicaragua with stops in Panama and San José. With his three friends he planned to spend the night in a park near the consulate. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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