Cuba and the US Hold Migration Talks

On Monday, Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that Cuba and the United States will begin a new round of talks on migration on Tuesday.

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The new meeting for migration talks will take place in Washington D.C., as part of the alternating venue arrangement, stated Johana Tablada de la Torre, the Deputy Director of the U.S. Directorate of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.

The Cuban delegation will be led by Vice Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio Dominguez, while the U.S. delegation will be coordinated by Eric Jacobstein, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

"Cuba's cooperation with the U.S. on migration matters has been serious and effective. Our country will reaffirm its commitment and willingness to maintain cooperation to promote regular, safe, and orderly migration," said Tablada de la Torre.

Since 2023, the U.S. government has granted over 20,000 travel documents to Cuban migrants, and has returned the majority of those citizens intercepted at sea, within the framework of bilateral cooperation, which includes the holding of rounds of migration talks and the resumption of repatriation flights for migrants.

Among the priorities that the Cuban delegation will address in this talks is the reiteration that the U.S. blockade constitute the most relevant issue in the bilateral migration scenario.

The impact of these extreme and inhuman measures on our population is the main incentive explaining the unprecedented increase in current migration flows, the Cuban official noted.

Furthermore, the effect of the tightening measures of the blockade initiated in 2019, which have contributed to the growing irregular migration flow, will be acknowledged.

"We will insist to the U.S. on the resumption of the granting of non-immigrant visas in Havana. This is an issue that affects Cuban families, exchanges in various areas, and becomes an additional incentive for emigration, as those who wish to visit their relatives are not provided with another option," she said.

Respect will be also requested for the right of travelers from third countries to visit Cuba freely and without reprisals, such as those currently suffering due to Cuba's inclusion on the list of State sponsors of terrorism.

The Cuban delegation will call on the U.S. government to suspend the use of federal funds to finance major media outlets and digital platforms that promote irregular migration.