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WORLD NEWSThursday 14 January 2016
Cubans begin pilot transfer from Costa Rica to Mexico
SONIA PEREZ D.
JAVIER CORDOBA
Associated Press
PEDRO DE ALVARADO,
Guatemala (AP) — After
more than three months
stranded in Costa Rica,
Cuban migrants hug goodbye as one prepares to board a government organized bus that will
take him and a select group of fellow Cuban migrants to the airport in La Cruz, Costa Rica, Tues-
day, Jan. 12, 2016.
180 of the 8,000 Cuban mi-
grants trapped there finally
began their long-awaited
trip north toward the U.S.
border, flying to El Salvador
and then traveling by bus
to Guatemala on Wednes-
day.
The first pilot flight took off temalan border, they saw
Cuba to attend security forum with US for first time are going to look for a way
BEN FOX
Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — A delegation
from Cuba will take part for
the first time in an annual
Caribbean regional secu-
rity conference co-spon-
sored by the U.S. military’s
Southern Command, a se-
nior official said this week,
portraying the participa-
tion as a significant step in
the ongoing thaw between
the long-hostile neighbors.
The Cuban government’s
decision to accept an in-
vitation to the Caribbean
Nations Security Con-
ference in Jamaica this
month follows other rela-
tively small but symbolic
forms of military engage-
ment between countries
that normalized relations
from Costa Rica’s Dan-
iel Oduber airport in the
northern city of Liberia late
Tuesday night as part of
a regional agreement to
overcome Nicaragua’s re-
fusal to let them through by
land.
The migrants appeared
to get special treatment
along the way: They were
greeted by El Salvador’s
foreign minister upon arriv-
al in that country even as,
when they got to the Gua-
in December 2015, said
Marine Corps Gen. John F.
Kelly, the commander of
Southern Command.
“We’ve normalized now
and, regardless of how we
think of each other in terms
of politics, we have very,
very common challenges,”
Kelly said in an interview
two days before he ends
his tenure as commander
of U.S. military operations in smuggling of people and
the Southern Hemisphere.
The conference takes
place over three days start-
ing Jan. 27 in Kingston, Ja-
maica. Senior military and
other security officials are
expected from 16 Carib-
bean countries as well as
the U.S., Canada, France,
the Netherlands and Unit-
ed Kingdom. Cuba has not
a busload of Salvadoran But the Cubans’ trip was
migrants headed the other smooth so far. Private char-
way after being deport- tered transportation and
ed back from the United transit visas had already
States. been arranged for them.
The Cubans won’t have to “It has all been very quick,
worry about that due to a thank God,” said Ruben
Chil Cruz, who left his wife
and two children behind in
Cuba.
But Chil Cruz said he wasn’t
sure exactly how he would
(AP Photo/Enrique Martinez) cross Mexico, known for vi-
cious attacks on and kid-
U.S. immigration policy that nappings of migrants, es-
lets them stay if they reach pecially those from Central
the United States. That spe- America. He said he didn’t
cial status initially raised plan to use a smuggler in
some resentment in Cen- Mexico and hoped immi-
tral America nations whose gration officials there could matic relations. Many Cu-
citizens are often deported give him advice on how to
from the U.S. if they enter travel to the U.S. border.
without visas. From there, he said, he
plans to travel to Miami.
But he expected the trip to
be quick. “I think I will get privileged treatment.
to the United States by Sun-
day,” he said.
For most Central Ameri-
can migrants, the trip
takes weeks or sometimes
months.
Cuban migrants previously
got through even faster by
traveling a well-established
route through Ecuador —
which until December did
not require they secure en-
try visas — and then north
through Central America.
But close Havana ally Ni-
caragua closed its south-
ern frontier to the Cubans
Nov. 13, creating a logjam
yet said who it will send and center, where it holds 103
its government had no im- men, but has said discus-
mediate response to a re- sion of the future of the
quest for comment by The base, which occupies 45
Associated Press. Venezu- square miles (117 square ki-
ela, which has a chilly re- lometers) on the southeast-
lationship with Washington, ern corner of the island, is
won’t be there, Kelly said. not on the table.
In the past, the conference Kelly said he believes the
has focused on coopera- facility remains strategi-
tive efforts to combat drug cally valuable, a deepwa-
trafficking as well as the ter port in the Caribbean,
and he would like to see
weapons. It is not clear if it remain open even if the
Cuba would take the op- detention center closes. He
portunity to again raise its suggested it could be run
vehement objection to the jointly with the Cubans, of-
presence of the U.S. Navy fering employment to the
base at Guantanamo Bay, local population as it once
Cuba. did. But the general says
The administration of Presi- he hasn’t discussed it with
dent Barack Obama has anyone in the Castro gov-
said it wants to close the ernment. “It wouldn’t be
Guantanamo detention appropriate,” he said.
of thousands stuck in Costa
Rica.
Central American nations
and Mexico later reached
an agreement on the pilot
program to help the Cu-
bans leapfrog Nicaragua
by air. Mexico’s Interior
Department issued a state-
ment Wednesday vowing
to quickly issue temporary
transit papers giving them
20 days to leave the coun-
try.
Emigration from Cuba has
spiked dramatically in the
year since Havana and
Washington announced
they would restore diplo-
ban migrants say they’re
making the journey now
for fear that detente could
bring an end to the U.S.
policies that given them
Cubans selected for the
first flight said they were re-
lieved to finally be on their
way.
“They told me four days
ago and I still don’t believe
it. I didn’t expect to be in
the first group,” said Lislenia
Fernandez, who arrived in
Costa Rica from Panama
on Nov. 8 with her hus-
band, Yordani Casanova.
“I’m happy because I can
travel with my husband.”
Fernandez said she hopes
to get to Miami, where her
brother-in-law is, but she
had to leave behind her
sons aged 4 and 8: “We
to bring them over.”
Arnobis Tellez also left be-
hind three children and
a grandchild in Cuba.
Like Chil Cruz, he wasn’t
sure how he would cross
through Mexico.
“These last months have
been terrifying, because
nobody thought this was
going to happen,” Tellez
said. “We thought that by
this time we would all be in
the United States.”
Salvadoran Foreign Minis-
ter Hugo Martinez said he
wished all migrants in the
region had such a happy
story.
“With this action (for the
Cubans) we are showing
dignified treatment and re-
spect for human rights,” he
said, “which are things that
the administration of El Sal-
vador’s president ... is ask-
ing for our own migrants.”