News: Costa Rica Re-Opens Border, Issues Visa to Cuban Migrants

LoKoPaNdA

Quote:

Like other countries in the region, Costa Rica has seen a surge in the number of Cubans entering as the process of detente between Washington and Havana announced in December stirs fears that longstanding U.S. asylum rights may soon be lost.

Costa Rica surprised the migrants on Friday by detaining them at the border, prompting some Cubans to block the Inter-American Highway for a few hours in protest until the government began issuing them with seven-day transit visas.

However, it is unclear how the migrants will fare in neighboring Nicaragua, which refused 100 Cubans deported from a holding center in Costa Rica on Friday.

"The situation we're facing is extraordinary – we've never dealt with this before," said Costa Rica's Assistant Director of Immigration Gladys Jiménez. "We hope Nicaragua will accept them with their documents so they can continue on."

Cuban migrants receive special treatment in the United States from Cold War-era arrangements, and have long traveled through Mexico and Central America to reach the U.S. border.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0T31HG20151114

LoKoPaNdA

So basically Cubans will soon not be granted asylum upon touching American soil and will be treated as any other Latin American undocumented immigrant since Cuba and the US have formal relations now. Cubans are aware and are leaving the country in higher proportions, they fly to Ecuador and from there travel to the Mexican border in a long journey, it's a really risky trip.

I am not sure about them no longer being granted asylum since Cuba is still a repressive regime.

Monceau

I blame this mess to Ecuador and its open borders, so many illeal immigrants go there because they don't need a visa all designed because the new airport needed to add more international flights SMH.

LoKoPaNdA

Quote:

Originally posted by Monceau

I blame this mess to Ecuador and its open borders, so many illeal immigrants go there because they don't need a visa all designed because the new airport needed to add more international flights SMH.

The most important thing is that migrants remain safe and Costa Rica seems to be helping. Ecuador really can't do much, they can't simply cancel Cuban flights or deny visas to Cubans