The Cuban regime has expressed its willingness to receive migrants deported from the United States, as long as the bilateral agreements established between both countries are respected.
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba, emphasized in a recent interview on the official program Mesa Redonda the importance of ensuring regular, safe, and orderly migration, highlighting that repatriations should be carried out according to the agreed terms.
Despite the unprecedented economic crisis facing the island, the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel remains committed to welcoming the migrants who are seeking better opportunities in the U.S. but have been apprehended and expelled from the country.
Since the resumption of return flights to Cuba, in April 2023, hundreds of Cubans have been deported, many of them without guarantees for reintegration into an impoverished society and under the watch of State Security. Those returned face interrogations, restrictions on finding employment, and in some cases, political persecution for having left the country.
In February, a flight from the United States brought back 104 Cuban migrants, consisting of 84 men, 19 women, and one minor. This event marked the beginning of the mass deportations promised by the Donald Trump administration.
The official discourse maintains that Cuba advocates for “regular, safe, and orderly” migration. However, Fernández de Cossío also accused the U.S. of historically using migration policy as a “tool of destabilization” against the island, denying visas and promoting irregular emigration.
But this argument ignores an undeniable reality: Cubans flee the country not only because of the migration restrictions imposed by Washington, but also due to the lack of freedoms, political repression, and the misery that the regime itself has exacerbated.
In another instance, the Cuban deputy minister denounced that human trafficking networks operate from U.S. territory and that the cost of the illegal journey to the U.S. can range from $7,000 to $18,000 per person. However, he avoided mentioning the role of Cuban authorities in this phenomenon.
The dollarization of the economy, the
It is also no secret that regime officials benefit from this exodus, facilitating clandestine routes, such as the case of the visa-free entry to Nicaragua, or turning a blind eye to human trafficking networks as long as desperate citizens leave the country.
Finally, Fernández de Cossío emphasized that the Cuban community abroad is an integral part of the nation, including the children and grandchildren of Cubans born in other countries.
He stated that the Cuban government is making efforts to strengthen ties with its émigrés, despite the policies of the United States aimed at restricting these connections.
The fear of mass deportations has grown among Cubans in the U.S., especially after the immigration policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Additionally, the tightening of deportations has caused panic in the communities of South Florida, backed by the laws promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Cuba, a prison without walls
The reality is that, as long as the regime continues to block real political and economic changes, irregular migration will persist. Havana insists on its discourse of sovereignty and respect for agreements, but the truth is that its migration policy is more a response to the need to mitigate potential measures from the Trump administration that would further impact the island's economy, such as the suspension of flights and restrictions on Cuban-American tourism, as expressed by Mario J. Pentón, a journalist from Martí Noticias, with a true interest in ensuring rights and opportunities for its citizens.
Accepting deportees without offering them a future is simply perpetuating the cycle of misery and repression that has forced more than 500,000 Cubans to leave the country in the last two years.
No matter how many are returned, the question remains the same: what future awaits them on an island that has become a prison without walls?
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