![]() When asked by Univision in June about increased numbers of Cubans leaving the island by boat, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “part of the challenge that our administration has faced is that under the previous administration, there were four years of deterioration of our immigration system. ![]() The Biden administration is reviewing changes made to Cuba policy by President Trump, but has also said that improving relations with Havana is not an immediate priority. Following the pandemic, applying for a US visa became even more of an odyssey after Cuba reduced international flights and many countries in the region went on lockdown.Īccording to US government figures, more than 100,000 Cubans have been unable to obtain their visas to travel to the US since September 2017, when visa services were first suspended. Now Cubans are required to travel to third countries to apply for a visa to visit or emigrate to the US. In 2017, the US Embassy in Havana suspended visa services in Cuba following a series of mysterious health incidents involving US diplomats. See what Cuba's vaccination program looks like In April, the Coast Guard found two Cubans in the Florida Straits trying to reach the US aboard three paddleboards they had lashed together. After searching by air and sea an area of approximately 8,864 square miles for more than 123 hours, the Coast Guard called off the search for 10 more missing people, who were never found. In May, the US Coast Guard recovered eight Cubans from the water and two bodies after their boat capsized near Key West. In June, four Cuban migrants aboard a raft were rescued by Mexican fishermen after nine days at sea, as ocean currents carried them away from the US to the Yucatán Peninsula. Lawmakers unveil legislation to give 'Havana syndrome' victims better medical care William Taylor And Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State George Kent testify at the first public impeachment hearing before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill Novemin Washington, DC. The Capitol dome is seen early Wednesday morning before Amb. Many of the Cubans attempt to make the 90-mile journey in flimsy, jerry-rigged boats known as “rústicos.” “Despite the setback in relations, the US Coast Guard and the Border Guard maintain a cooperation that’s stable and functional,” said Yoandry Castro Fernandez, a major with the Cuban Border Guard, who participated in the handover of the migrants. The Trump administration enacted some of the toughest economic measures against Cuba in decades, and so far, the Biden administration seems reluctant to lift them. ![]() The uptick in illegal migration also comes as US-Cuban relations are at their lowest point in years. The economy of the communist-run island has been battered by both the pandemic and increased US sanctions. While the increase is far lower than the rafters crisis of the 1990s, when thousands of Cubans took to the seas, or the Mariel Boatlift exodus, still more and more Cubans are now attempting the dangerous trip across the Florida Straits. In fiscal year 2019, the Coast Guard interdicted 313 Cuban migrants and in 2018 just 259. Why is Biden following in Trump's footsteps on Cuba? (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images South America/Getty Images president has visited the island nation in nearly 90 years. President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Cuba Sunday afternoon, the first time a sitting U.S. HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 20: United States and Cuban flags fly side-by-side on the roof of the Iberostar Hotel Parque Central near El Capitolio (background) in the historic Old Havana neighborhood Main Havana, Cuba.
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