2LT International News

HAVANA, Cuba: Before high level discussions on migration began in Washington this week, Cuba asked the U.S. to ease sanctions and end special treatment of Cubans illegally entering its territory.

After being suspended during the term of former U.S. President Donald Trump, the bi-annual meetings, which aim to promote safe, legal, and orderly migration between the two countries, resumed in 2022.

According to U.S. authorities, some half a million Cubans illegally entering the country since 2021, a record number.

Cuba is suffering from an economic crisis that has caused shortages of basic goods, surging inflation and blackouts.

During a press conference in Havana, Johana Tablada de la Torre, deputy director for U.S. affairs at Cuba’s foreign ministry, said the discussions remained important as one of the few points of contact under the administration of President Joe Biden.

She also expressed frustration at failing to reach related goals. “The blockade is what most weighs in on the bilateral migration situation,” she said.

Cuba’s Communist government has blamed U.S. sanctions for stifling the island’s economy.

Havana added that the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, which grants special entry rights to Cubans and support upon arrival, has encouraged the Cuban youth to emigrate.

The U.S. is the top destination for Cuban migrants, and the Biden administration has encouraged them by facilitating visa access in Havana and launching family reunification and humanitarian parole programs.

Tablada said that the discussions would not solve the problem if sanctions remained in place.