During a recent interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, about the high-level U.S.-Cuban migration talks that took place in Washington last week. According to Fernández de Cossío, one of the significant impacts of U.S. policies on the flow of people between the two countries is the expedited permanent residency for Cubans in the United States. However, he also emphasized that the primary driver of migration continues to be the enduring U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Fernández de Cossío highlighted how economic hardships faced by Cubans push them to seek better opportunities elsewhere, and U.S. policies aimed at undermining the Cuban economy only exacerbate these conditions.
The conversation also touched upon topics such as the upcoming 2024 election and potential policy continuities between the Trump and Biden administrations. Furthermore, Fernández de Cossío shared Cuba’s stance on the U.S.-backed Israeli military action in Gaza and recent protests within Cuba addressing living conditions and other grievances.
Overall, this interview shed light on the complex dynamics shaping U.S.-Cuban relations, from migration policies to geopolitical conflicts and domestic challenges facing the island nation.
In summary, during our discussion with Carlos Fernández de Cossío, we learned that while expedited permanent residency for Cubans in the United States may have an impact on migration flow between the two countries, it is not enough to offset the enduring U.S. embargo on Cuba’s effect on migrants seeking better opportunities abroad due to economic hardships faced by Cubans. Additionally, we heard about current issues affecting both countries such as upcoming elections and ongoing protests within Cuba addressing living conditions among others.
Lastly, it is clear that despite ongoing tensions between both countries regarding various issues such as geopolitical conflicts and domestic challenges facing each country’s citizens respectively; there are still attempts being made towards finding common ground through high-level talks like these ones that could potentially pave a way forward for a better future relationship between them in certain aspects like migration policies