[1/5] People wait in line to enter the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, on January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
HAVANA, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Cubans desperate to escape an economic crisis at home this week explored options for how to get to the United States after the Biden administration rolled out a new set of rules for migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The new regulations block Cubans at the border, putting the brakes on a widely favored route to the United States: a flight to Nicaragua, which lifted the visa requirement for Cubans in 2021, and then an overland trip through Central America and Mexico. the limit
But the new regulations also open a new path to legal entry into the United States, with the goal of bringing about a record exodus of more than 220,000 Cuban migrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022.
“It remains to be seen whether Cubans will wait their turn in the legal immigration system, or whether they will continue to try to cross US land and sea borders without official permission,” said Jorge Duany, a professor at Florida International University in Miami. .
In October 2022, the United States implemented a similar “carrot and stick” approach to Venezuelan migrants. Venezuelans arriving at the southwest U.S. border dropped from 1,100 a day to fewer than 200 in just one week, U.S. data show.
The Biden administration has bet that the Cubans will respond in kind, helping to slow the pace of illegal immigration.
Cubans in Havana, where migration is a constant topic of conversation, said they welcomed the new opportunities, but told Reuters it was not yet clear how many might take advantage.
The rules allow migrants outside the United States to apply for a two-year “parole” to legally travel to the country. The process requires health and safety checks and the Cubans must identify a sponsor who will take care of their finances.
“{The new system} is for those who have family there,” said 26-year-old Havana resident Rafael Rodriguez, who said the rules created confusion in identifying sponsors.
“There are a lot of people like me who have no one to protect them.”
But for 19-year-old Daniel Gonzalez from Havana, whose close friend said he took the dangerous overland route through Central America, the new process is a welcome one.
“It gives us the legal option… so we can travel to the United States without having to take great risks,” he said.
The Cuban government has also said it wants to encourage legal and orderly migration, but has long accused the Cold War-era US embargo of stifling the island’s economy and encouraging young people to emigrate.
The Biden administration has acknowledged that “economic sanctions” are among the key factors driving immigration, but last week’s policy shift did not address the embargo.
Until the economy improves, taxi driver Osmani Mulet said the new rules won’t be enough to curb those who want to leave.
“Cubans will always find a way to migrate,” he said. “If not {to the United States}, then somewhere else.”
Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Anett Rios in Havana, additional reporting by Nelson Acosta and Alexander Frometa
Editing by Alistair Bell
