The Cuban regime is willing to accept moredeportations of immigrants from the United States, restarted last year in the midst of an exodus of Cubans unprecedented in history.
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs,Carlos Fernández de Cossío, declared toCBS News that Cuba could receive more than one flight per month.
So far, 12 flights have been carried out since April 2023, but "we are open to having more," said Fernández de Cossío after participating in thelast round of migration talks between both countries held in Washington.
The last of those flights arrived in Havanaon March 28 and had 61 irregular Cuban immigrants on board. So far this year there have been three air operations of this type, with a total of 149 people returned in these three months.
In his interview this week, the official blamed the massive stampede of Cubans in recent years on the economic embargo and other US policies, including sanctions that he said are "aimed at destroying the Cuban economy." But he did not mention the poor economic management of the Díaz-Canel administration.
"You can talk about other factors, but if there is a coherent policy on the part of the most powerful economy in the world to try to destroy the livelihood of an entire population, 11 million Cubans, it is logical to expect that the people, a segment of the population , wanting to leave the country," he said.
Fernández de Cossío also urged the State Department to resume the processing of tourist and short-term visas in Havana, whose beneficiaries must currently travel to a third country to process their cases.
In that sense, he revealed that US officials informed him that they would resume full visa processing in Cuba in the future.
Finally, he expressed concern about the result of the November presidential elections, because if Donald Trump is elected, he could resume his more aggressive stance against Cuba and add new sanctions, which in the opinion of the Cuban leader would be "unfair," "immoral."
"Of course we are concerned if there are additional economic measures [against] Cuba, regardless of who wins the elections. The Biden administration has very faithfully applied the policies implemented by the Trump administration and added some," he stressed.
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