By Alejandra Garcia on June 30, 2024 from Havana
photo: Bill Hackwell
More than half a century of blockade against the island and the economic crisis it brings as a consequence -which is worsening with successive White House administrations no matter if they are Democrat or Republican – the main reasons why Cubans emigrate, according to common knowledge here and confirmed by experts. However, nothing can break the bonds of love that unite Cuban migrants with their roots, their family, and their country.
This is a reality, despite the hate campaigns against Cuba launched from Florida, which seeks to strip the emigrants of their memories, and blame the government for the difficult decision of leaving the island. The truth that these campaigns hide is that the government has the political will to further unite the ties between the island and its diaspora. It is undeniable.
This idea was highlighted by Cuban authorities from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when they announced this week new bills that seek to strengthen those ties. This Friday, representatives of both ministries appeared at the Mesa Redonda news analysis, that most Cubans watch nightly, to provide detailed information on new draft laws on Migration, Foreigners and Citizenship that seek to create bridges between Cubans, wherever they may be.
The bills, which will be submitted for debate and approval by the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), “are evidence of the political decision to strengthen ties with residents abroad and update migration legislation, adjusted to the characteristics of the Cuban migration process and international policies,” said 1st Colonel Mario Méndez Mayedo, head of the Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners’ Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior.
The demographic and migratory reality of the country requires an update of the migratory law. It is estimated that, from 2013 to the present, there are 1.3 million Cubans who maintain residence in Cuba, but an important part of them live abroad. This is a result of the circularity nature of the migratory process.
The new document has an antecedent in 1976, which was updated in 2012. “The time had come to elaborate a more comprehensive document,” Méndez commented.
The law eliminates the condition of returning once every 24 months to the country in order not to lose patrimonial rights such as housing. Although that condition disappears, it establishes a series of categories, such as effective residence or transitory residence, for Cubans living abroad, emigrants, and investors living outside the national territory. The proposed project is a guarantee of patrimonial rights.
This would have a direct impact on public policies and reduce additional costs for the country’s economy.
The second project for foreigners is basically giving attention to foreigners patterns of entry and exit, visitors, non-visitors etc. In other words, it deals exclusively with issues concerning non-nationals. “There is also a precedent for this project. We have a law on foreigners from 1976, but it needs to be updated, clarified and adjusted to the current reality of the increase in the flow of tourists and the flow of visitors,” he pointed out.
And finally, the Citizenship Law is a novelty. Although there were some instruments for the protection of citizenship, Cuba did not have a similar law. For the first time, Cuba will have a law like this one, which will take into consideration things such as the acquisition of another citizenship which does not imply the loss of Cuban citizenship. Nationals, while they are in Cuban territory, are governed by this condition. However, if the law is approved, a Cuban citizen may also renounce Cuban citizenship.
“The procedure is initiated because the person wishes to do so. In addition, in order to apply for it, one must hold another citizenship. The application is only admitted from abroad and to be effective it must be accepted by the competent authority,” Méndez pointed out.
These measures, if approved, will reinforce the idea that there is no such thing as those “from there” and those “from here”. Cuba is more than an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. It is in every Cuban scattered around the world who feels it is theirs despite the distance.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English