On November 19, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel affirmed that the connection between Cubans residing abroad and the island nation is irreversible.
Cuban expatriates play an important role in Havana's foreign policy. (Source: Migration Institute Policy) |
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 4th Conference on Peoples and Migration at the Havana Convention Palace, Mr. Díaz-Canel commented that, 45 years after the 1st Conference (1978), the connection between Cuban migrants and their homeland has developed more frequently.
Observers say the conference represents a change in Havana’s approach to its migrant community. One notable new feature is Havana’s push for Cuban migrants to invest in their homeland, especially in the fledgling private sector.
The focus of the conference was Cuban Americans. The specific content of the conference was not made public, and the identities of many of the attendees were kept secret.
The Fourth Conference on Peoples and Migration took place 19 years after the Third Conference (2004) and against the backdrop of an economic crisis that has fueled one of the largest waves of migration in Cuba in decades.
So far this year, more than 57,000 Cubans have received legal entry permits to the United States. In 2022, more than 313,000 Cubans entered the United States through the southern border and several thousand crossed the sea to the United States, most of whom were turned back.
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