United States will resume the issuance of migrant visas in Havana after a four-year break, within the “gradual expansion” of consular activity, although in a “limited” way and without fixed deadlines.
An official from the United States Department of State informed the media in Havana on Thursday of the step decided by Washington, which is part of a “broader” strategy of diplomatic dialogue and with civil society.
The issuance of the immigrant visa in Cuba is part of the interest of the United States Government that “they follow the legal and correct forms of emigration,” said this source.
People who are interested in leaving Cuba must do so by “legal and safe” means, a diplomat explained, after migratory flows from the island to the United States have intensified in recent months.
The US representative assured that the decision is to “facilitate diplomatic engagement and with civil society,” and dismissed any link with the increase in the number of Cubans trying to reach US territory.
“It is important for the public to know that services are starting to move here,” he added.
The announcement was offered without details of the date, the number of diplomatic personnel that would be transferred to the legation in Havana, or figures on how many people have applied for this type of visa.
Despite the reopening, the embassy said in a statement, “the main processing center for migratory visas for Cubans will continue to be the United States Embassy in Guyana.”
The official also explained that the migratory agreements between the two countries “are still in force”, despite the suspension decreed in 2017 -strongly criticized by Havana-, and pointed out that the objective is “to arrive as soon as possible at a complete resumption of all services”.
Increased migration
Data from the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) show that last January, the last month for which records are available, 9,827 Cuban immigrants were detained, about 13 times more than the 732 in the same month of 2020.
Cubans also try to reach the United States by sea through the dangerous Straits of Florida.
Since October 1, 2021, when the current fiscal year began, the Coast Guard has intercepted 730 Cubans at sea.
A total of 1,019 people were returned to Cuba by the US authorities in 2021 for trying to enter its territory irregularly, according to data from the Cuban official newspaper Granma, which also warns of the increase in migrants.
Cuba blames the US
The Cuban authorities have not yet reacted to this Thursday’s announcement, but they have blamed the United States on several occasions for the increase in the irregular migratory flow and have accused it of breaching the migratory agreements.
“There is a very high share of responsibility of the United States Government in the irregular flow of Cuban citizens and illegal departures by sea” and other routes, the director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad recently assured at a press conference. of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Ernesto Soberón.
The diplomat criticized that Cuba is presented as being responsible for these migratory flows.
He said that in 2017, when bilateral cooperation was effective and all the countries involved – including the United States – complied with the migratory agreements, Washington recognized a “drastic” decrease in the irregular flow.
In all cases, he added, the objective is to guarantee an “orderly and safe” migration, and at the same time create a mechanism to avoid irregular forms.
Soberón reiterated that the United States fails to comply with the bilateral agreement in reference to the delivery of 20,000 visas a year for Cubans, in addition to restricting remittances and toughening economic sanctions, something that in his opinion encourages irregular migration.
The Cuban government attributes this increase in migration also to the validity of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, which allows Cubans to apply for permanent residence in the United States after one year and one day of remaining in that country.
The suspension of the processing and granting of immigrant and non-immigrant visas at the US Consulate in Havana, as well as the transfer of these procedures to third countries, has also encouraged illegal departures, argues the Cuban government.
The “health incidents”
The United States reduced the activity and personnel of its Embassy in Havana to a minimum in 2017, after almost thirty of its diplomats suffered mysterious “health incidents” whose reasons have not yet been clarified.
Washington initially blamed the so-called “Havana syndrome” on the Cuban government, arguing that it was a type of sonic attack, but US intelligence itself recently ruled out this thesis.
Cuba denied at all times any relationship with these incidents.
In this regard, the State Department official said on Thursday that the “affectations are true: this is a fight for us.” “We are trying to understand what happened,” said this source.
Source: Gestion
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