Three U.S. senators criticized President Joe Biden for reactivating certain types of non-immigrant visas (NIV) in Cuba, which benefit academic, educational, and cultural exchanges, athletes, individuals with extraordinary abilities, or members of religious groups.
Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott from Florida, and Ted Cruz from Texas, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stating that the recent expansion of services at the U.S. embassy in Havana only benefits the Cuban regime and puts the national security of the United States at risk.
"Instead of forcing the Cuban dictatorship to end its abuses against human rights and bring democracy to the Island, the Biden-Harris administration has only sought opportunities to pacify the regime and repair diplomatic relations," the text says.
"We see no other reason to extend national visas to Cuban individuals and no justification for doing so to serve the interests of the United States," he adds.
The U.S. Embassy in Havana announced in August that it would diversify temporary work visas and exchange programs, without expanding those for tourism and business, nor including B-1 business visas and B-2 tourist visas, which have been on hold since 2019.
The senators indicate that the expansion of the NIV will benefit members of the elite and the ruling class in Cuba, where those closest to the regime have opportunities denied to the majority. Therefore, it is very likely that those who receive these scholarships will have good relations with the government.
Moreover, it will be almost impossible to conduct an adequate investigation into the potential recipients of NIV due to the lack of transparency of the regime.
The three politicians recalled that the Biden administration introduced a parole program that allowed former high-ranking officials of the regime and members of the State Security to go live in the United States. (The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba claims that 117 repressors may have entered the country since February 2023, many of them lying).
"The Biden-Harris administration halted this program only after reports of widespread fraud and abuse, demonstrating our inability to properly investigate individuals coming from the island," the letter details.
They also criticized the exclusion of Cuba from the list of countries that do not fully cooperate with anti-terrorism efforts, claiming that the reason for this decision is to appease the regime, "which continues to harbor terrorists and American fugitives."
"The administration has also allowed officials from this regime, sympathetic to terrorism, to access secure facilities in U.S. airports, endangering the welfare of our citizens and security measures," the document adds.
Since August 19, it has been possible to process temporary worker or trainee visas (H), exchange visitor visas (J), intra-company transfer visas (L), and visas for workers with extraordinary skills or achievements (O) at the U.S. consulate in Havana.
Visas for athletes, artists, and entertainers (P), those for participants in international cultural exchange programs (Q), and those for members of a religious denomination who carry out religious work (R) can also be requested with this reform.
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