Hoping To Be ‘Regularized’
Cubans occupy second place in refugee requests at the beginning of the year with 2,352 requests, only below the 3,213 from Honduras
By EFE / 14ymedio)
HAVANA TIMES – Tens of thousands of Cubans remain stranded on the southern border of Mexico without receiving a response about their immigration procedures, stated the Center for Human Dignity (CDH), which defends migrants. Tapachula, on the border of Mexico with Guatemala, has become a “great funnel” and a “bottleneck” for these migrants because they do not have the possibility of adjusting their status, said attorney José Luis Pérez, a specialist in migration and vulnerable groups, on Wednesday.
“There’s no point in having the office of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (Comar) in Tapachula if foreigners aren’t able to adjust their status,” said the advocate, who has accompanied migrants in the procedures.
Cubans occupy second place in requests for refuge at the beginning of the year with 2,352 requests, only below the 3,213 of Honduras, the Comar reported a week ago.
In 2023, Cubans were in third place, behind Haiti and Honduras, with 18,386 requests, which represents an increase of 1.09% compared to 2022.
But thousands of Cubans complain that they have been waiting for a response for months, and in the end they are denied asylum, like William Rodríguez, who began his procedure last August in Tapachula and was notified of the refusal on February 2.
“They didn’t accept me and denied me refuge. I need to stay here in Mexico and get help with the papers. I have two girls to support, and I need a job. The Comar denied me refuge, and I don’t know what to do. We’re trapped,” he told EFE.
Attorney Pérez added thar the immigration authorities suspend the procedures without prior notice.
“What we have seen is that, for example, the National Institute of Migration twice a year suspends or paralyzes its humanitarian visa or permanent residence procedures, especially for Cubans,” he said.
Other Cubans prefer to wait to return to their country or continue illegally, such as Tania Anaya, a 53-year-old woman who arrived six months ago to process her refuge and qualify for a permanent visa.
While waiting for an answer, she sells coffee and bread with chicken to Cubans and Central Americans who pass through Tapachula.
“It’s a long process, it can take six months. You make the first appointment in the Comar, then the second, then the spoken interview and then the permanent one. I’m not going to speak ill of them because I’ve been treated well,” she said.
The situation reflects the unprecedented migratory flow that passes through Mexico, which received a record of almost 141,000 asylum applications in 2023, the third highest figure in the world, according to the Government.
Translated by Regina Anavy for Translating Cuba
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