On the New US Restrictions on Visas for Cubans
By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez
HAVANA TIMES – The US government has placed restrictions on B2 visas that were granted to Cubans to travel for tourism-related reasons, to visit relatives and shop, which are now only valid for three months (single entry) instead of five years (with multiple entries) like they used to be.
It was received as bad news by people who travel to that country, or aspire to, as is to be perfectly expected. It has also stirred up a lot of uncertainty about whether this new policy actually helps or harms the Cuban people.
Officially, the US says that this is a “reciprocal alignment” that isn’t exclusive just to Cuba. But, in reality, US and Cuban policy doesn’t have to be aligned and they aren’t in fact, both stem from each country’s own interests.
The Cuban government looks to its powerful neighbor (which it ironically considers an enemy), as a source of funding as its own system is incapable of generating wealth, while doing whatever it can so it doesn’t affect its political system. In fact, remittances are the second or third largest source of revenue, bringing in over $3 billion USD per year.
Meanwhile, the US continues to support democracy in Cuba, with a capitalist lens. Not only out of solidarity and altruism, but also to provide renewed opportunities for US companies and ensure political stability within the region. Which are completely understandable objectives from their perspective.
Even though the Cuban and US governments’ interests are at odds with one another, the opposition both on and off the island agree a lot on immigration policy. Not knowing if there is another kind of visa that covers the Cuban opposition from this general restriction, it’s important to ask if it could affect their ability to travel to the US.
The fact that Cuba only hands out two-month visas for US citizens is justified, because they just want to make more money with consular services. And, every cent counts for a government in crisis.
However, this isn’t the case for Cubans who travel to the US. Money they use to pay for a visa at an embassy comes mostly from the remittances sent from the US itself.
It’s true that this new restriction might harm the Cuban economy somewhat, especially sanctioned military companies which own 70% of the national economy and mostly benefit from capital that comes from the north, in many different ways. However, if the impact is widespread, it could cause more harm to the population, particularly the struggle for a democracy in Cuba, which is the objective at the end of the day.
For example, a few days ago, Henry Constatin (an independent journalist for “La Hora de Cuba”, from Camaguey) published on his Facebook page that he was no longer “regulated”, almost two years after being banned from traveling as punishment from the government for his democratic ideas. In a few hours, he was able to buy a plane ticket to Miami and take part in an event about freedom of speech and human rights violations, which he had been invited to. Even though he didn’t give details, I’m sure he was able to do this because he had a valid five-year visa from before.
But, the famous case of Rafael Serrano, an anti-US advocate, enemy of democracy and a supporter of the continuity of Cuba’s authoritarian regime, was very different. Like nearly every other Communist, his children live abroad. And it seems that he managed to get a five-year visa so he could freely visit “the Empire” he criticizes and hates so much.
Maybe the same thing goes for many famous artists who have an open door to the US with cultural exchanges. Do they use B2 visas? Or something else? If it’s another kind of visa, then restrictions on relatives and the self-employed make no sense if famous artists can hold onto their privileges.
Some of the former support the system and are “Maradona-style” Communists, loaded with USD. Others publicly present themselves as “apolitical” so they can swim in both currents. And they spend the money they earn fair and square in the US, here in Cuba, like “gringos” in luxury hotels, restaurants and military-owned cabarets. Enjoying their privileges to travel to the US and do business with their talent, during the detente. And in order to hold onto this, most of them stay out of politics.
Of course, we can’t demand anything at all from the US. Every country is free to make the consular decisions they see fit and it’s worth remembering that the US is the country that most supports the pro-democracy struggle here in Cuba. Plus, it’s home to the vast majority of our immigrants.
However, this new restrictive measure with visas doesn’t really seem positive for the Cuban people. For now, it just hikes up travel costs because consular services have been suspended in Havana, which forces Cubans to make visa applications in third countries and many will now find themselves having to do this more often. Also, private business owners will lose all of the convenience the five-year visa gave them for their buying trips.
My letter to my US Senator, Marco Rubio:
The recent change to eliminate the five year multiple entry non-immigrant visa for Cubans is the most counterproductive action in the US goal of causing political change in Cuba. Cuba’s biggest problem is economic. Allowing Cubans who had demonstrated their visit was only temporary and not for permanent relocation clearly demonstrated the benefits of the US political / economic system compared to their own. More importantly, these short-term visits supported Cuban private businesses by providing essential business items not available in Cuba.
Economic forces, which the Cuban government cannot control, continue to give rise to private businesses. Private businesses are the biggest threat to the current Communistic system since they carve out an increasing section of the central government controlled economy. Those businesses put money in the hands of the people, not the government, thus freeing them from government control.
Sixty years of a trade embargo has clearly demonstrated that the US government causing economic pain to Cuban people does not result in them seeing our government more favorably than their own. The easing of travel restrictions and family remittances by US citizens beginning four years ago has made a positive impact on how Cuban citizens view the US government. One must question the merits of abandoning a recent system that has proven successful and reverting to one with such a long history of failure.
Osmel,
No voy a discrepar la veracidad de su artículo en este instante pero, creo necesario expresar lo que a simple vista sobresale: carencia de información, el reciclaje de la misma noticia y una visión limitada del “problema” en su totalidad. La “visa” de 2 meses para viajar a Cuba is a total joke, para comenzar, y por otro lado lo que escribe sobre los artistas viviendo como “gringos”? me pone a pensar que su conocimient sobre el Arte Cubano desde los 90s hasta la actualidad es limitado y solo ve a unos que no son lo mejor o mas representativo del cubano estereotipo del “exilio”. Con todo respeto y buenas intenciones: hace falta dejar de ver la hsitoria de las relaciones entre ambos países de manera fragmentada y permanecer un poco en cada orilla con los ojos abiertos, las orejas también y leer la versión de esa historia desde las entrañas de cada monstruo. El altruismo al que se refiere no es tal. Siempre hay una agenda con intereses muy egoistas “…detras de la fachada” y ahora con los mapas cambiando de color, salen a relucir las miserias de cada cual. La supervivencia es el status quo del cubano de a pie, 10.8 millones. Vivir el presente, hoy, ahora mismo inmediato, es el resultado de la decisiones de una dinastia de un lado y los politicos de turno del otro.
y aquellos que quieren que prefieren ver la isla “hundirse en el mar..”, definitivamente no tienen a nadie viviendo el extra-extendido Periodo “especial .” En fin, el MAR….como diria N. Guillen.
El miedo y la “maldita circunstancia del agua por todas partes ” son las causas fundamental por la que ciertas cosas no cambian de un lado. Es muy facil criticar…pero laa soluciones escasean.
Suerte en la contienda y que siempre brille el sol..desde tu este. Desde alli se ve primero y mejor
Cubans lie about being political refugees and just come to the U.S. to send remittances back to the Cuban dictatorship. They claim to be political refugees and they go right back to their dictatorship within months of getting welfare in the United States. Stop Cuban migrants!