US Embassy in Cuba (screenshot cu.usembassy.gov).
Havana has accused Washington of provoking illegal immigration by making it relatively easy for Cubans to apply for asylum in the US.
Last week, a group of Cubans risked their lives to reach the United States by boat and the boat capsized near the Bahamas, leaving some people floating on the water for more than 14 hours, Reuters reported.
The Bahamas Royal Guard’s ship saved 12 people and recovered one body, but several others have yet to be found, including women and children, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement. at the end of Thursday (March 11).
Thousands of Cubans attempted to emigrate to the United States by boat each year, until former US President Barack Obama in 2017 ended automatic asylum for Cubans arriving in the United States, Although he also makes some other exceptions to the usual immigration rules.
Since then, the number has decreased but has still hovered around a few hundred per year.
The United States Coast Guard intercepted 87 Cubans in the Caribbean during the first six months of fiscal 2021 starting October 1. That’s a significant increase from the 49 who signed up in fiscal 2020.
Under the 1966 US law, Cubans were more likely to be granted “asylum” and green cards compared to migrants from elsewhere.
