Cuba, United States to Talk About Migration in Havana as More Cubans Try to Escape to the U.S.

Cuba and the United States plan to resume their talks regarding migration in Havana on Tuesday. This comes as a mass exodus of Cubans trying to enter the United States increases as an economic and energy crisis grips the country.

The two countries held their first round of migration talks back in April, which were the first talks between the two nations since the Trump administration. Since these talks began, President Joe Biden has already announced that the United States will restart "full immigrant visa processing" in Havana on January 4.

Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio spoke with Reuters and stated that the United States hopes to discourage illegal migration from Cuba with the immigrant visa processing. However, he admitted that these moves "were not enough."

De Cossio added that potential Cuban migrants think that if they manage to enter U.S. territory, they will eventually be admitted. This comes as 220,000 Cubans were caught at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022. This shattered previous records, though a vast majority of them were still allowed into the U.S. to pursue their respective immigration cases.

The official added that the U.S. Cold War-era trade embargo is one of the key factors why more and more Cubans are trying to flee their own country and stated that this embargo contributed to a "grinding economic crisis on the island" and has led to "daily blackouts and hours-long lines for food, fuel, and medicine."

United States Seeking To Reopen Consular Services in Cuba With New Talks

According to El Pais, the Biden administration has sent Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter and the Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Department of Homeland Security Ur Mendoza Jaddou for these high-level migration talks in Havana. They are the two highest-ranking U.S. officials to visit the country since Biden took office.

They aim to address the growing number of Cubans trying to enter the United States via rafts or by going through Mexico. They were received by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who reiterated the "importance of fully resuming the migration services and consular services at the US Embassy in Havana."

The U.S. Embassy, once opened, will prioritize family reunification and seeks to "expand consular services" in the country.

Bitter also expressed her concern about the current human rights situation in Cuba and "urged the government to unconditionally release all political prisoners." Meanwhile, Cuba has stressed that the long-standing U.S. embargo must be lifted.

U.S.-Cuba Relations Thawing

However, despite the ongoing tensions marked by years of distrust brought about by the Cold War, the Associated Press noted that the relationship between the United States and Cuba has indeed begun to thaw.

The Obama administration tried to resume relations with the island nation but this was undone by President Donald Trump who further strained the relationship by tightening American sanctions against Cuba.

U.S. officials now hope that more will come out of these latest talks in Havana.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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