In a recent interview, we spoke with Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, about the ongoing U.S.-Cuban migration talks that took place in Washington. During the discussion, he emphasized that despite recent policies aimed at expediting permanent residency for Cubans in the United States, the primary driver of migration between the two countries remains to be the enduring U.S. embargo on Cuba. According to Fernández de Cossío, economic hardships faced by Cubans continue to push them towards seeking better opportunities elsewhere, with U.S. policies aimed at undermining the Cuban economy only exacerbating these conditions.
Furthermore, Fernández de Cossío touched upon several other topics during our conversation, including the upcoming 2024 election and potential policy continuities between the Trump and Biden administrations. He also shared Cuba’s stance on recent protests within the country addressing living conditions and other grievances.
Overall, our conversation shed light on the complex dynamics shaping U.S.-Cuban relations, from migration policies to geopolitical conflicts and domestic challenges facing the island nation.
When we spoke with Carlos Fernández de Cossío last week about high-level U.S.-Cuban migration talks held in Washington, he emphasized that while recent policies aimed at expediting permanent residency for Cubans in the United States have had an impact on migration flows between the two countries; it is still primarily driven by the enduring U.S. embargo on Cuba.
According to Fernández de Cossío, economic hardships faced by Cubans continue to push them towards seeking better opportunities elsewhere, with U.S. policies aimed at undermining their economy only exacerbating these conditions.
In addition to discussing migration policies and geopolitical conflicts shaping U.S.-Cuban relations, we also talked about other topics during our conversation with Fernández de Cossío last week.
These included his insights into potential policy continuities between the Trump and Biden administrations regarding issues such as immigration policy and trade relations between Cuba and its neighbors in Latin America.
We also discussed Cuba’s stance on recent protests within its own borders addressing living conditions and other grievances raised by citizens dissatisfied with their government’s handling of various issues.
Overall, our conversation with Carlos Fernández de Cossío shed light on some of the most pressing challenges facing both Cuba and its relationship with neighboring countries like the United States today.