Stranded Cubans Offered Transfers to other Mexican Cities
It’s estimated that there are approximately 1300 people of Cuban origin in the city.
HAVANA TIMES — Cubans stranded in Nuevo Laredo can sort out their immigration status in other parts of the country, and therefore no longer need to travel to Nuevo Laredo, Jose Martin Carmona, the director of the Tamaulipeco Institute for Migrants, has indicated.
“We have approached them to offer them free transfers to Mexico City, so that they can continue to process their current status, without having to necessarily wait for this and receive it here in Nuevo Laredo, they can now do this in any Mexican city,” he specified.
Statistics provided by the institute show that around 700 Cubans have registered themselves formally. However, this figure isn’t the same at the exact total of Cubans who can be found in the city. It’s estimated that there are approximately 1,300 people of Cuban origin in the city.
“I hope they are able to get Mexican residency permits, but they must first register with the National Immigration Institute so they can advance with the legal process,” he stressed.
The Director of the Tamaulipeco Institute for Migrants said that a transfer would be made as soon as a significant group of Cubans come together to process their paperwork in Mexico’s interior provinces, be that in Monterrey, Guadalajara or any other place where they have family, friends or a work opportunity.
“We are ready to transfer this group to the city they want to go to while they wait,” he explained.
Every passenger bus can transport about 40 people, an estimated amount to help Cuban migrants who want to sort out their paperwork in another Mexican city.
“We have given them the facilities to meet with federal authorities. They have stated that they want to remain in Mexico, less and less of them want to cross over to the United States,” the IRM director added.
Since January 12th this year, Cubans have been stranded in this city because the US “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy was revoked.
*Translation by Havana Times
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Editors Note: Some migrants are wary of the Mexican Immigration Authorities because of previous situations when groups of Cubans were deceived and then summarily deported back to the island.