Cubans Hold a Vigil at the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador to Ask for Humanitarian Visas / 14ymedio

Organizers estimated that about 700 people participated in the vigil. (14ymedio)
Organizers estimated that about 700 people participated in the vigil. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 13 June 2016 –Hundreds of Cubans held a vigil Sunday night outside the Mexican embassy in Ecuador to ask Mexico to grant them humanitarian visas that would allow them to continue their journey to the United States.

The event, attended by Cuban migrants from various parts of the country, had been called a week earlier by the former deputy to Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, Peter Borges. Organizers estimated that some 700 people participated in the vigil, despite the fact that, according to Borges, early morning temperatures dropped to 50 degrees in Quito.

In the morning, they delivered letters address to Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto requesting an airlift similar to those established by Costa Rica and Panama. The airlift would evacuate thousands of undocumented Cubans in Ecuador which, according to them, total about 5,000 people.

Cubans camped in tents outside the embassy and hung murals with photos of those presumed missing in illegal crossings to reach the United States through the Colombian and Central American jungles.

The migrants hung murals with photos of those believed to be missing in illegal crossings to reach the US. (14ymedio)
The migrants hung murals with photos of those believed to be missing in illegal crossings to reach the US. (14ymedio)

At the vigil there was also a collection of humanitarian aid for Cubans who are in distress or poverty, which will be distributed through recently structured mechanisms.

The migrants also wanted to show their solidarity with their more than 300 compatriots stranded in Turbo, Colombia. The mayor of that town, Alejandro Abuchar, said, “As of now, there is nothing new to report on the status of the Cubans. They should leave the country and continue their journey and no exceptions will be made.”

Several of those stranded in Turbo report that they have fevers and the flu but, according to ombudsman William Gonzalez, health authorities of the municipality maintain that it is a common flu and that their lives are not in danger.