Cubans with nationality of a country benefited from the visa exemption program to travel to the United States will not be able to use theelectronic entry authorization system, known as ESTA, due to federal regulations, confirmed toCyberCuba government sources in Washington.
"Due to the restrictions for travelers from countries that sponsor terrorism or with dual nationality that links to a country that sponsors terrorism, we are canceling the benefit of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for those people," said Thursday night a senior official of the Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
According to the official, the limitation applies not only to Cubans and nationals of Syria, Iran and North Korea,countries designated as terrorist by the State Department, but for all citizens favored by the visa exemption program(waiver) and who have traveled to any of those nations recently.
The CBP representative indicated that the restriction is currently in force, although he did not specify the date on which the measure began to be applied to Cubans with dual nationality.
"We are proceeding in accordance with the established provisions, without affecting people who already have the ESTA approved to enter the country," explained the official.
For those who have already been granted the documentESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), The border authorities are stamping their passports with a free visa - valid for six months - to enter and stay in the country.
The invalidation of the ESTA automatically implies completing thedocument I-193, which is used for nonimmigrant aliens who wish to be admitted to the United States and request an exemption from passport and/or visa requirements due to an unforeseen emergency. The cost of the application is $585 dollars, but this fee does not apply to the situation of Cubans with dual nationality, who are admitted without charge.(waiver).
Simply, people are warned of the cancellation of the ESTA and are informed that for future trips to the country they must apply for a visa at a US consulate.
The measure confirms reports from travelers who arrived from Havana last week and constitutes terrible news for hundreds of Cuban nationalized Spaniards who regularly traveled from Cuba to the United States for family and tourist visits without the need for visas.
It is estimated thatMore than 140 thousand Spanish citizens are registered as residents in Cuba, most of them favored with nationality through the so-called Historical Memory Law of 2007.
"A group of 26 Cubans with Spanish passports were separated when we arrived in Miami and they told us that our ESTA was being suspended and from now on we had to apply for visas at the embassy in Havana," he toldCyberCuba one of passengers who entered through Miami International Airport last Friday. "It was a bucket of cold water."
The situation implies additional obstacles for residents in Cuba, since the US embassy has practically paralyzed its consular operations since the end of 2017, due to the reduction of its diplomatic staff.
The traveler, who asked not to be identified, was interviewed by an immigration officer who then stamped a permit with an entry date.
CyberCuba had initially contacted CBP representatives, who declined to comment on the incident, citing the agency's privacy policies.
The State Department also declined to comment on the measure.
The application of the measure began to take effect a few days after theoutbreak of anti-government demonstrations in the streets of Cuba,last July 11. Washington and the international community have condemned the repression unleashed against protesters amid growing revulsion against the Cuban regime.
The ESTA is a system required since 2009 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for all foreign visitors traveling to the United States without a visa, and must be requested online at least 72 hours before entering the country. Its extension is 90 days for business or tourism reasons, but those who have a visa issued by a US embassy do not need the electronic pass.
A total of 39 countries, mostly European, are favored with the visa exemption program for traveling to the United States.
However, since January 2016, the DHS and the Department of State implemented new restrictions to prevent people with dual nationality, one of them a sponsor of terrorism, from benefiting from the exemption, so they must apply for a B visitor visa. -1/B-2.
The limitation could also apply to citizens of those 39 countries who have traveled to a nation that sponsors terrorism during the last five years.
It is not clear whether Cubans with dual nationality who can prove residency in Spain or other European countries would not be affected by the DHS restriction.
Cuba was excluded from the list of terrorist countries by the Barack Obama administration in 2015 andreturned to that category by President Donald Trump in January 2021. The issue is part of the White House's review of Cuba policy, but so far President Joe Biden has not taken any steps regarding that designation.
CBP authorities recalled that admissibility into United States territory is established based on the evidence that travelers offer to demonstrate that they are "clearly eligible to enter the United States."
In recent years, immigration authorities questioned several Cubans with Spanish nationality who repeatedly entered the country using ESTA. The investigations tried to track down people who frequently repeated their trips to work or serve as mules, in violation of US laws.
Regarding the cases of Cubans in recent weeks, the official did not rule out that some travelers in possession of ESTA could be subjected to review for having exceeded the 90-day limit in a previous stay in the country, without submitting an application for extension that was authorized on an exceptional basis due to the pandemic.
ESTA permits are valid for two years after the date of granting, which has not changed due to the coronavirus.
The United States implemented a plan of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirusand temporarily prohibited the entry of people who have been in a risk area.
Even if the traveler has an ESTA, they may be denied entry to the United States considering the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
What do you think?
SEE COMMENTS (61)Filed in: