Cuban President denounces hostile U.S. migration policy

Havana, March 25 (RHC)-- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced on Friday the U.S. immigration policy towards Cuba as a destabilization tool against the island.

The U.S. immigration policy towards the island stimulates illegal and irregular flows. It is part of its traditional destabilizing policy and the desire to use the population as the hostage of a hegemonic and hostile ambition against Cuba and against our government, the President said on Twitter.

Havana denounced on Thursday that, with its abusive migratory provisions, Washington fails to comply with bilateral commitments and implies a burden for transit nations to the northern territory.

Through a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the U.S. is trying to hinder the processing of new visas in the embassies accredited in the Cuban capital to increase the discomfort of the affected nationals.

The document recalls U.S. refusal to process in Cuba the 20,000 annual visas it has committed to in bilateral agreements and the burden of the reinforced economic blockade that affects the population's standard of living.

Added to this "are the pressures on governments in the region to demand visas from Cubans who aspire to take advantage of the permanent stimulus to emigrate to the United States," the text published on the Cubaminrex website states.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Cuba has addressed these issues through diplomatic channels with the government of the United States, and expressed that such conduct is abusive with the Cuban aspiring to emigrate, inconsistent with the bilateral agreements signed, harmful to the countries of the region and encouragement of illegal, irregular and unsafe migration.

Since 2017, Washington has failed to comply with the obligation signed in 1994 to ensure the legal migration to its territory of a minimum of 20 thousand Cubans each year.

The current scenario "does not move one iota away from the traditional destabilizing policy of the United States against Cuba and the desire to use the population as the hostage of a hegemonic and hostile ambition against Cuba, and against our government," the statement stresses.