Cuba To Urge US To Ease Sanctions During Washington High Level Migration Meeting

The Cuban government said Monday that it was planning to urge the United States to ease sanctions on the Latin American country during the high-level migration talks in Washington.

The twice-yearly meeting will start Tuesday, where Cuba will also ask the U.S. to end special treatment of Cubans illegally entering its territory.

The talks resumed in 2022 after being suspended during Donald Trump's presidency. This pause occurred amidst a significant increase, with approximately half a million Cubans illegally entering the United States starting in 2021, according to the U.S. authorities.

Cuba is facing a severe economic crisis, resulting in shortages of essential goods, high inflation and frequent power outages. The purpose of the talks is to encourage safe, legal and organized migration between Cuba and the United States.

Deputy director for U.S. affairs at Cuba's foreign ministry Johana Tablada de la Torre expressed frustration at not achieving these objectives. However, she emphasized the importance of the talks as it is one of the few channels of communication under President Joe Biden's administration.

"The blockade (sanctions) ... is what most weighs in on the bilateral migration situation," she told a press conference in Havana, Reuters reported.

The economic embargo against Cuba doesn't allow the country to trade or perform any commercial activities with the U.S.

The embargo has been enforced through various acts, including the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Helms–Burton Act of 1996, and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.

Cuba's communist government has consistently blamed U.S. sanctions as a major factor in harming the country's economy. Furthermore, as per the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, young Cubans feel encouraged to leave the country as it gives them special entry privileges and assistance upon arrival in the U.S.

There has been tension between the two countries in the last few decades. Cuba's Interior Ministry claimed last year in December that the U.S. State Department was plotting violent attacks against the Latin American country. However, the U.S. State Department turned down the allegations.