Cuba accuses US regional governments of pressuring visa requirements

Havana, March 30 (EFE) – The Cuban government on Wednesday accused the United States of pressuring other countries in the region to require a transit visa for Cuban migrants and travelers.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also accused the United States of encouraging “illegal Cuban immigration” and violating migration agreements between the two countries.

He also assured that the United States is not fulfilling “its legal obligation to issue at least 20,000 annual visas” to Cubans wishing to enter the United States under its bilateral agreement on migration.

The foreign minister was referring to the actions of governments such as Panama and Costa Rica, which have issued transit visas to islanders in recent weeks. Colombia, for its part, recently suspended new visa applications at the Cuban consulate.

Rodriguez sees the United States beyond these measures as his “cynical decision to close the doors to immigration, which he has been encouraging for decades.”

“In attempting to use the Cuban people’s hegemonic ambitions as hostages, the United States is violating the human rights of Cubans and pursuing a policy of destabilization against Cuba,” he said.

The serious economic crisis facing the Caribbean country is one of the main reasons why experts point to the current wave of Cuban migration, a situation caused by a combination of pandemics, US sanctions and internal management mistakes.

Last Monday, the U.S. Border Patrol arrested 1,500 cubes a day, more than double the average recorded in February.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, 47,331 Cubans entered the country irregularly in the last five months, after the figure rose to 16,557 in February.