With the number of Cubans arriving in and traveling through Mexico increasing, the country is now offering a program for those seeking to reunite with family there.
Starting Friday, Cubans with relatives already in Mexico can sign up for expedited visa appointments, according to Mexico’s Foreign Ministry.
Those appointments will take place between April and June, and are a response to what officials say is high demand for reunification visas.
Hundreds of thousands of people have left Cuba amid an ongoing economic crisis on the island. Many who reach Mexico are on their way to the United States, but a growing number of Cubans are settling in Mexico as well. Last year, more than 18,000 Cubans applied for asylum in Mexico, a major jump from previous years.
Mexico has close ties with Cuba — bringing in doctors and vaccines from the island — and pushing the United States to end its more than 60-year embargo of the country.
The United States has also implemented a controversial new program for Cubans seeking to enter the United States. Along with Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians, they can now apply for a permit from their home countries that will allow those with sponsors in the U.S. to live and work in the country temporarily. However, those who are apprehended crossing the border without the permit will be deported and barred from receiving the humanitarian parole.
