US Embassy in Cuba to Resume Processing Immigrant Visas
for the first time since 2017
HAVANA TIMES – The US Embassy in Cuba will begin processing immigrant visas in Havana today for the first time in over five years. Visa and consular services have been closed on the island since 2017, reports Democracy Now.
This comes as a growing number of Cubans are trying to reach the United States as Cuba continues to suffer fallout from decades of failed economic policies and US sanctions. Over the weekend, at least 500 Cuban asylum seekers arrived in makeshift boats in South Florida. Many landed in Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys, leading authorities to temporarily close the national park.
Cuba used to be a country that received migrants from several countries, today it is a source of mass emigration. Shortages of food, medicine, electric power, etc. and an unwillingness of the Cuban government to implement substantial changes have left many hopeless for a better future. The result saw a nationwide obsession in 2022 to leave the country, especially among the younger generations. While the US is the leading destination, many say they would go anywhere.
Anyone with a pulse understands that this change is a result of the 5-fold increase of Cubans seeking asylum at the US southern border.