Migratory Agreements Revised

HAVANA, /07/17/2013. Radio Progreso Alternativa (RPA)/Progreso

Semanal. Delegates from the US and Cuban governments met today in

Washington to revise the state of “existing migratory agreements”,

signed by both governments in 1994-1995.

The US delegation was headed by Edward Alex Lee, Assistant

Undersecretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, US State

Department, while Josefina Vidal, head of the US Department of the

Cuban Foreign Ministry, led the Cuban delegation.

In a note, the Cuban delegation emphasized that Havana confirms its

commitment with the fight against illegal migration and human

trafficking, particularly of women and children, but that the

objective cannot be attained “as long as the dry feet-wet feet policy

and the Cuban Adjustment Law are kept in force, both of which promote

illegal migration and the irregular entry of Cuban citizens to the

US.”

The “dry feet/wet feet” policy allows Cuban citizens that arrive to US

soil, regardless of their way of entrance, to stay in that territory

and claim the status of refugee that facilitates after a year

obtaining the status of residents and the beginning of the process on

the road to citizenship. This exception, which no other citizen from

any country is entitled to, stimulates illegal immigration, according

to Havana.The meeting, which according to the Cuban delegation, was held in a

“respectful atmosphere”, took place in spite of the situation created

by the retention of a Korean ship that transported some 240 tons of

“obsolete” weapons covered by 10,000 tons of sugar. The destination of

the ship was the Popular Democratic Republic of Korea, where according

to the Cuban note they would be repaired.

Following is the note of the Cuban delegation present at the round of

migratory talks.

TALKS WITH THE UNITED STATES, WASHINGTON, JULY 17, 2013.On July 17, 2013, the migration talks were resumed between thedelegations of the United States and Cuba which were headed by EdwardAlex Lee, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere

Affairs of the United States and Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Head of the

United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the

Republic of Cuba respectively.

The meeting took place in a climate of respect. A review was made of

the evolution of the migration accords in force between the two

countries and the main results of the individual and joint actions

undertaken by the Parties to cope with illegal migration and alien

smuggling.

As an expression of its commitment to combat these phenomena, the

Cuban delegation announced the ratification by the Government of Cuba

of the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and

the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,

Especially Women and Children, which are both supplementary

instruments of the United Nations Convention against Transnational

Organized Crime.  Likewise, it reiterated that alien smuggling could

not be eradicated nor a legal, safe and orderly migration between the

two countries could be achieved as long as the wet foot/dry foot

policy and the Cuban Adjustment Act, which encourage illegal migration

and irregular entries of Cuban citizens into the United States, remain

in force.

The Cuban delegation also provided information of interest about the

updating of Cuba’s migration procedures and the process to implement

them.

The Cuban delegation reiterated its willingness to maintain these

exchanges in the future, given their importance to both countries.