U.S. concerned over Cuban migration policies

From Elise Labott,
CNN State Department Producer
and Gary Tuchman,
CNN National Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department is "deeply disturbed" over Cuban policies that prevent Cubans holding U.S. visas from migrating to the United States, according to two State Department sources.

The concern was expressed in a diplomatic note sent by the State Department to the Cuban government, the sources said.

The note was presented Monday morning to Fernando Remirez, chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington. A State Department official said the note accused the government of systematically preventing its citizens from migrating to the United States.

According to one senior State Department official, the note was prompted by Cuba's refusal to address U.S. concerns about the rising number of Cubans illegally fleeing Cuba, trying to reach the United States. This, despite the fact they were granted U.S. visas to migrate to the United States.

MESSAGE BOARD US/Cuba relations

"The Cuban government has consistently failed to take effective action in response to our continuing and legitimate humanitarian concerns," the note said.

Deputy Spokesman Phil Reeker said that the failure of the Cuban government to answer repeated U.S. requests for regularly scheduled migration meetings was a major factor in sending the note.

The note details an expensive and cumbersome process in Cuba to obtain an exit visa, including a $400 medical test, a $50 passport fee and a $150 exit fee, the official said. The fees are prohibitive for many Cuban workers, who earn an average salary of $10 per month.

State Department officials believe the Cuban government instituted the high fees as a revenue source, because they are almost always paid by Cuban American-families in the United States who are eager to bring their relatives over.

A 1994 agreement between the United States and Cuba calls for 20,000 U.S. visas to be granted for Cuban migrants each year, although the quota is often expanded to accommodate Cubans with families in the United States.

But the note says it is "ironic that the Cuban government would demand" the visas, while it continues to deny its citizens permission to leave the country.

According to the note, 117 Cubans from 57 families, all holding valid U.S. visas, were denied permits to exit by the Cuban government over a recent 75-day period.

The Cuban government's continued prevention of legal migration, officials said, has led to an increase in Cuban nationals leaving the country illegally. The Coast Guard has been picking up growing numbers of Cuban migrants in U.S. waters. Despite the fact many hold U.S. visas, protocol dictates they be returned to Cuba.

"It's a failure of their system and the oppressive policies that the Castro regime carries out, and frankly a failure to live up to their international agreement on these migration accords," Reeker said.

"The Cuban government is increasingly endangering Cuban lives and dividing and separating families, the senior official added.

The recent deaths of two Cuban brothers in their 20s has led to increased concern over the issue. Both were fleeing the island when they were attacked by a shark.

The case "highlights the growing propensity of Cubans denied the means to migrate in a safe, orderly and legal fashion to risk their lives in desperate sea voyages," the note said

But the Cuban government blames the voyages on a "criminal U.S. migration policy," which provides an incentive by granting migrants asylum if they reach U.S. soil.

Roberto Garcia, a diplomat with the Cuban Interests Section, said the Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows Cubans who reach U.S. shores to remain, "is responsible for the continued death of Cubans."

"They receive a lot of privileges when they reach the U.S.," he said.

Reeker called the complaint "rhetoric," and said the law, which has been in effect since 1966, is a longstanding component of U.S. policy toward Cuba.

"So it's somewhat unacceptable that the Cuban government has just recently decided to use the Cuban Adjustment Act as a scapegoat for their own internal problem," he said.

Normally, these concerns would be addressed at twice-a-year migration meetings between the two countries. But the last meeting was held in December in Havana, and despite U.S. demands for a new set of talks, the Cubans have refused.

Reeker said the State Department informed the Cuban government that "we strenuously object to the postponement of those meetings," and remain "fully prepared to proceed" with the talks.

"We think the continued discussions between our two countries on migration matters are important to prevent the needless loss of life at sea and important for ensuring the safe and legal orderly migration that's called for under the accords," he said.

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Cubaweb
U.S. State Department
  • Information on Cuba
  • Cuban Adjustment Act Fact Sheet
I.N.S. Information for Cuban Immingrants
Amnesty International
  • 1999 Report on Cuba

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