14ymedio, Havana. 13 March 2017 – Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM) reported in a press release that on Monday morning it repatriated 49 Cubans who were in the country in an irregular situation. At 7:30 a.m. (local time) they were sent on a Federal Police plane from Quintana Roo to Jose Marti Airport in Havana.
The migrants – 40 men and nine women – had arrived in Mexico on different dates and were waiting to obtain a transit permit that would have allowed them to reach the US border.
Since the ending of the previous US wet foot/dry foot immigration policy, the Mexican government no longer gives Cubans without visas trnsit permits, which allow foreigners without recognized nationality to legally travel for 20 days through the country.
In contrast, Mexican authorities have since implemented a bilateral agreement with Havana, which allows the return of citizens of the Caribbean country, if the Cuban consulate in Mexico recognizes their Cuban citizenship.
According to the official Cubadebate newspaper, between January 12 – the end of the previous US immigration policy – and February 15, 264 Cubans were deported by the Mexican INM following the same procedure.
As of February 18, a total of 680 migrants were repatriated to the island from different countries, mostly from the United States.
