Cuba's communist regime on Wednesday downplayed President-elect Donald Trump's promise to begin mass deportations, including expulsions of Cuban nationals, calling the plan “unrealistic and unfair.”
Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Cuba's deputy foreign minister, spoke to reporters after a delegation of U.S. government officials led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric Jacobstein met with Castro administration officials in Havana on the 26th. He asserted this in his statement. Wednesday.
Fernández de Cossio criticized President Trump's plan to carry out mass deportations of immigrants, deeming the proposal “very drastic” and “very unfair.”
“The important thing to remember here is that there is an immigration agreement between Cuba and the United States, and all issues of this nature, including possible deportations, are handled within the framework established by the agreement. “We have to do it,” Fernández de Cossio said. said.
“In that context, it is unrealistic to think that there will be large-scale deportations from the United States to Cuba,” he continued.
Communist officials argued that organizing a mass deportation of Cubans was inconsistent with “the U.S. policy of recent decades toward the island of Cuba, which has given a privileged status to Cuban immigrants.”
“Historically, for decades, there has been an ostensible U.S. government policy that privileges immigrants from Cuba,” Fernández de Cossio said.
“The plan to deport hundreds of thousands of Cubans to Cuba, a figure sometimes touted, would force people already living and working in the United States, many of whom have family here, from their homeland. “It will be,” he continued.
According to the Castro administration, Cuban and U.S. representatives “reexamined compliance” with bilateral migration agreements and “both sides recognized the strategic value of cooperation on migration issues and the national security implications of this series of talks.” I recognized his contribution.” Ryogoku. “
Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The Cuban delegation emphasizes the importance of adhering to established agreements in a comprehensive and non-selective manner, and opposes policies and measures applied by the U.S. government that encourage irregular migration. We reiterated our concerns.” announced In a statement.
Castro's government also “strongly condemned” the U.S. “embargo” on Cuba, which Cuban officials said had been “drastically tightened” since 2019 and that it was “an important step for migrants.” This is said to be a factor that constitutes a strong incentive.
“The Cuban delegation reiterated the importance and expressed its concern and refusal to fully reinstate nonimmigrant visa processing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana,” the ministry said. Discriminatory and hostile treatment of Cubans and Americans who returned from a visit to Cuba and legally entered the United States through the airport. ”
After more than 60 years of disastrous communist policies under the authoritarian Castro regime, Cuba is currently facing a dramatic humanitarian crisis, which has caused all of the above. 850,000 In addition to Cubans seeking asylum in the United States in 2022, 111,000 Cubans entered the US through Biden administration's 'humanitarian parole' program.
The Cuban diaspora in the United States has repeatedly condemned statements made by prominent communists this year. repressor, official – include individual Associated with the deaths of four American citizens in the 1990s, their relatives They entered the United States using the Biden-Harris administration program and are currently residing there.
US Embassy in Havana said On Wednesday, the two delegations announced that they had addressed “key issues related to cooperation in immigration procedures” of the U.S.-Cuba Immigration Agreement and highlighted challenges to achieving its objectives.
“The United States raised important U.S. interests in its discussions with the Cuban government, including promoting family reunification, deterring illegal immigration, and increasing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. .
Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, mentioned the meeting on social media. post In it, he said the U.S. representative “highlighted our success in curbing irregular Cuban sea and land migration.”
Hours before President-elect Donald Trump wins the 2024 US presidential election, grandmathe official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, affirmed Regardless of the outcome of the election, the communist regime will continue to be a “trouble'' to the United States.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
