Yesterday, Josefina Vidal, the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba director general, slammed the extraterritorial impact that US immigration policy has had on the Caribbean island. On social media site, Twitter, Vidal shared a text that the Cubadebate site had released to Washington – the request by nine countries in Latin America to review the immigration policy that the US has in regards to the Greater Antilles.
The governments in question believe that these provisions stimulate the disorderly, insecure, and irregular flow of Cuban immigrants to the US. The official has mentioned in previous tweets that US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has been sent a letter by the foreign ministers of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua calling for review of the Cuban Adjustment Act and the associated ‘dry feet, wet feet’ policy.
The letter details those governments concerns over the irregular immigration of citizens of Cuba, which commit effort and policies into trying to ensure that borders are secure and free from transnational organized crime. The letter claims that vulnerable people who are the victims of criminals engaging in sexual exploitation, collective assaults and immigrant trafficking, are risking their lives daily in trying to get to the US.
The text sent to Kerry says that the result of the situation has been a migratory crisis in all their nations and that US policy not only affects the safety of Cuban citizens but also interferes with the territorial sovereignty of those countries behind the letter.