(EFE).- Havana urged Washington this Tuesday to deport all Cuban citizens who try to enter US territory irregularly with the aim of not stimulating migratory flows.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, made these statements at a press conference at the end of a routine bilateral meeting on migration in Havana with representatives of the US Government.
According to the Cuban Government, the United States proportionally admits many more irregular migrants from Cuba than from other countries, which represents a “stimulus” for those who want to emigrate, in addition to a “non-compliance” with bilateral agreements.
“By accepting the majority of those who arrive, they fail to comply with bilateral agreements,” said De Cossío, who urged the United States in the meeting to comply with bilateral agreements “in their entirety” and “not selectively.”
“By accepting the majority of those who arrive, they breach bilateral agreements”
The vice minister spoke of other “specific incentives” from the United States for Cuban migrants, such as the Cuban Adjustment Act, which grants permanent residence to Cubans after one year of stay in US territory.
In his opinion, in Washington “there is no political will” to change the immigration policy with respect to Cuba because the “priority” of “destabilizing” Cuba takes precedence over stopping human flows and guaranteeing safe, regular, orderly and legal migration. .
In conclusion, the Cuban vice minister noted that the meeting was a “useful exercise,” but added that in bilateral migration matters “there is much to do.”
De Cossío also stated that Washington is largely responsible for the strong Cuban migration to the United States due to the application of multiple sanctions that weigh down the island’s economy.
For its part, the US Government raised the “obstacles” that in its opinion “make it difficult” to comply with bilateral agreements on migration in the midst of the largest exodus of Cubans in recent decades.
These obstacles are not detailed in the State Department’s brief statement on the matter.
The note adds that Washington underlined in the meeting its “constructive commitment” in the field of migration with the Government of Cuba and the desire to carry them out in the interest of the United States.
“These conversations are also consistent with our interest in promoting family reunification and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba,” the statement highlighted.
“These conversations are also consistent with our interest in promoting family reunification and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba”
Leading the US delegation was the Deputy Undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department, Eric Jacobstein.
Cuba is mired in a serious economic crisis with no signs of recovery in the short or medium term due to the combination of the pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions and the failures in the design and implementation of economic and monetary policy.
The shortage of basic products (food, medicine and fuel), rampant inflation, partial dollarization of the economy and frequent blackouts have led many to consider leaving the country in the face of uncertainty and lack of prospects.
Last year more than 313,000 Cubans arrived to the United States irregularly through its southern border. This year Washington has so far accepted 57,000 applications for parole of Cubans and tens of thousands have continued arriving through Central America.
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