QCOSTARICA – On Tuesday, at 5:00am, from the Juan Santamaria (San Jose) international airport, the last of the almost 8,000 Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica since last November left the country, ending the “humanitarian” labour of the Luis Guillermo Solis government.
The last group of the 92 remaining Cubans, included the 50 whose flight was paid for by the travel agencies, Terranova and Grupo Colon.
According to immigration officials, of the 7.822 Cuban migrants given a visa and cared for during their stay in the country, a total of 4.818 left by air, while 3.004 made their way out on land, authorities believe by way of coyotes (human traffickers).
“It was a successful operation, not only to be on time with the documents, with the itinerary or logistics but also in the defense of human rights and protection of all foreigners in our country, allowing them to continue their journey in an orderly and safe manner, “said Kathya Rodriguez, general director of Migración (immigration).
Staring on January 12 of this year, the International Organization for Migration arranged for thousands of the migrants out of the country on flights to El Salvador and Mexico, circumventing Nicaragua, an ally of Havana.
President Luis Guillermo Solis expressed his gratitude to Mexico and Central American countries for “extending a hand of friendship and solidarity at a moment of great difficulty for the flow of Cuban migrants.”
In the past year many Cubans, fearing the normalizing of relations between Cuba and the United States, may put an end to the Cold War-era policy, leaving their country for the U.S. where under the Cuba Adjustment Act of 1966, any Cuban reaching the United States is fast tracked to residency.
U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to make a historic visit to Havana on March 20-22 as part of the reconciliation process.
