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Several Cuban families gathered in front of the iconic Versailles restaurant in Little Havana, Miami, to urge the acceleration of humanitarian parole processes for their relatives in Cuba.
The television network Telemundo 51 reported that "anguish and hope intertwined on their faces as they expressed their concern over the delay in processing their humanitarian parole cases, a program that would allow them to travel legally to the United States."
One of the beneficiaries of this program, implemented by the U.S. government since January 2023, is Juan Carlos, a Cuban who requested that “the process be faster… be more chronological…” He described the frustration and desperation of those waiting.
Another Cuban, acting as a sponsor, named Odalis Hernández, mentioned that she calls "every week" and is told that her "processes are fine and that I just have to wait. Well, I wait patiently, but I wish they would do something… that things would move a little faster…," she noted.
According to data provided by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of Cubans authorized to travel to the United States "in a safe, orderly, and legal manner" reached 95,500 in April.
"Specifically, 95,500 Cubans, 184,600 Haitians, 83,800 Nicaraguans, and 109,200 Venezuelans were examined and authorized to travel," the document presented by CBP states.
Of those, over 91,000 Cubans, 166,700 Haitians, 75,700 Nicaraguans, and 101,200 Venezuelans successfully entered U.S. territory legally "and were granted parole."
Cuban families yearn for the chance to reunite with their loved ones in the United States, among other goals that would allow those still in Cuba to escape the severe crisis affecting the island.
In addition to the food and transportation shortages, the energy crisis has intensified. Recently, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed something the people had suspected since the blackouts worsened: there are no guarantees that the summer months will pass without disruptions to the electricity service.
He addressed this from his new space on YouTube, which he hosts, where he discussed the situation regarding electricity generation and the projections for the short, medium, and long term.
Díaz-Canel reiterated what the Electric Union (UNE) announced a few days ago, that power outages will increase this month and next due to the rise in maintenance work at thermal power plants, in an effort to ensure service in July and August.
"We will have extended maintenance until June in order to minimize the inconvenience of power outages during the summer, particularly in the months of July and August," he stated.
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