US gives Cubans fast track visas

[losguerra]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7341843.stm
BBC NEWS
US gives Cubans fast track visas

The United States has begun issuing fast track visas to Cubans who have relatives living in America.

The first three sets of travel permits were issued by the US Interests Section in Havana on Thursday.

The Cuban Family Reunification Programme is partly aimed at discouraging illegal immigrants.

US officials say there has been a 20% increase this year in the number of Cubans trying to cross the Straights of Florida by boat.

They said the figures showed Cubans had little faith that life would improve under Raul Castro, who officially succeeded his brother Fidel as Cuba's leader in February.

Havana accuses the US of encouraging Cubans to risk their lives trying to emigrate by quickly granting residence to those who successfully make the crossing.

Thousands of people who left Cuba over the years still have wives, husbands, and children left behind.

No home visits

Current visa applications can take between three and seven years.

The new scheme is aimed at processing claims in just a matter of months.

Two families with young children were amongst the first to receive travel permits to join their relatives in the US, the BBC's Michael Voss reports from Havana.

According to US consular officials in Havana, as many as 40,000 Cubans could be eligible under the scheme, which was first announced late last year.

There is a longstanding agreement between the US and Cuba to allow 20,000 people to emigrate legally each year.

Those granted visas under the new family reunification scheme will be part of rather than in addition to this number.

So far though there are no plans by the Bush administration to lift the restrictions it imposed on family visits home by Cuban Americans.

At present they are only allowed to return to Cuba once every three years.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7341843.stm

Published: 2008/04/11 00:06:35 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

[losguerra]

I hope I don't offend anyone here - I know and care about several people of Cuban heritage, including two people in my family. But this strikes me as slightly outrageous and I'm getting all riled up.

Does the US somehow need Cubans more than others from Latin America? No, I think it's actually that the US is using them, as always, for a political statement. The US can not deal with the fact that Cuba has managed for 50 years without any US businesses ruining the place the way US corporations have demolished the rest of Latin America. Yes, you can tell me that statement is inaccurate, but I've studied Latin American history for long enough to believe that US business interests have done immense damage. If starting 30-year civil wars and assassinating democratically elected leaders isn't damage, I don't know what is.

So, just because for once in history the US failed to accomplish its goals in Cuba (a place doing much better than most Latin American nations, and all on its own), the US is going to continue to change visa policy to make a statement to Cuba.

I think the next time the US is going to claim immigration numbers are unsustainable, they have to reconcile this.

[Glühbirne]

I agree with you. It's not fair. It's favoritism. It has nothing to do with the people and everything to do with politics.