Translating Cuba

periodic calls, their situation.

Form I-220A is a “provisional release order” for parole offered by the Government to migrants who were arrested when entering illegally

In the case of those with the I-220A who have been notified about the measure, CaféFuerte says that the surveillance system includes the use of an application with a calendar of appointments at fixed times, once a week, during which they can be contacted by the authorities by phone or even video call. Others, it found out, were informed that the verifications could include visits to the migrant’s residence.

Form I-220A is a “provisional release order” of parole – a conditional permit – offered by the United States Government to people who were arrested while illegally entering the country. It requires those involved to attend hearings in an immigration court and comply with a series of rules while their immigration status is resolved.

However, the process can be long and does not guarantee that those involved will receive a favorable judgment. This, along with the series of radical measures against the migratory flow implemented by the Trump Administration, keeps many undocumented people in the uncertainty of whether they will be arrested or deported.

Added to this is this Friday’s announcement by the President that he will invoke an old law of 1798, the Foreign Enemies Act, which would allow him to deport migrants without the need for a hearing.

Trump had already mentioned that measure during his election campaign and did so again in his keynote speech on January 20: “By invoking the Foreign Enemies Act of 1798 I will order our Government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks that bring devastating crimes to American soil.”

The Foreign Enemies Act has not been invoked since World War II, when it was used to arrest Americans of Japanese origin.

The Foreign Enemies Act has not been invoked since World War II, when it was used to arrest Americans of Japanese origin

At the beginning of March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) also announced the implementation – after an evaluation of 60 days from March 5 – of a regulation that will force migrants who request visas for privileges already granted in national territory to deliver to the authorities information from their social networks.

As they explained then, migrants who will be affected are those who apply for the Naturalization form in the United States, known as N-400 (about 909,700 people, they calculate), and the Permanent Residence Registration form I-485 (1,060,585 people). These are two of the benefits most requested by Cubans, especially the latter which is essential to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Law.

According to both institutions – which opened the proposal to a debate that will last two months – USCIS “identified the need to collect social media identifiers,” such as user profiles and other similar elements, with a view to verifying the identity of the applicants and whether they represent a potential danger to the United States.

Other measures taken by the Trump Administration, which particularly affected Cubans, were the suspension of the CBP One application – with which asylum appointments were requested from Mexico – and
the humanitarian parole, which benefited thousands of Cuban immigrants.

In the case of the first, this week National Security announced the launch of the CBP Home, so that irregular immigrants can leave the U.S. with the promise of being able to return through legal ways in the future.

“Self-deportation is the safest option for undocumented immigrants,” the DHS said on Monday. “It is not only safer but also saves money for U.S. taxpayers and allows the valuable resources of the Customs and Border Protection Office and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service to focus on dangerous criminal immigrants.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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the Galician media. “It is a very generous law, comparable to that of Portugal and even broader than that of Italy,” he added.

“The figures are impressive, and at the end of the process we will have between a million and a half and two million new Spaniards”

The law, says the activist “gives the right to obtain [Spanish] nationality to all the grandchildren of the emigrants, absolutely to all and, in addition, to their children. Their descendants will be able to continue to do so later, as long as they ratify at the age of 18 that they want to maintain the Spanish nationality inherited from one of their parents.”

De la Hoz indicates that Cubans, the second nationality in number of applications – Mexico, Venezuela and France are also among the countries with the most applications – have had an extra difficulty, since the country is not a signatory of the 1961 Hague Convention.

In Cuba, the difficulty of not adhering to the Hague Apostille Convention is added. This mechanism simplifies the validation process of official documents for international law but requires the country to be a signatory of the agreement. Cuba, therefore, has its own stamp for the documentation that is required, which implies more time. De la Hoz, however, is optimistic about the changes in the digitization of records and believes that it will alleviate the problems of applicants on the Island.

The CeDEU spokesman has taken the opportunity to highlight the relevance of good advice when it comes to simplifying procedures, something that is “exemplary” in Argentine embassies. “The important thing is to educate yourself in the time remaining before the deadline so that everyone knows what steps to take. This process is proving exemplary in the consulates of Rosario and Buenos Aires through its civil registry officer and his team,” he emphasizes.

To obtain nationality through this channel, you must register as a user at the consulate and get an appointment for the procedure. The actual birth certificate of the emigrated relative and the documentation proving exile is required if it occurred in or after 1956, something that is not required for descendants of those who left between 1936 and 1955 and are considered exiles by default.

There are also other necessary papers – marriage certificates – for descendants of women who lost Spanish nationality by marrying a foreigner before the Constitution (1978) was approved. In the case – very frequent in Cuba – of the children of those who got the nationality with the ’Grandchildren Law’ of 2007, the certification of that fact is required.

The actual birth certificate of the emigrated family member and the documentation proving exile are required if it occurred in or after 1956

The CeDEU is one of the associations that actively promoted a reform of the Historical Memory Law – known in Cuba as the Grandchildren Law – to cover others affected who had been left out of that regulation. This is the case of those born outside Spain of originally Spanish fathers, mothers, grandfathers or grandmothers who lost their nationality for political or ideological reasons, beliefs or sexual orientation and identity when they went into exile during the civil war under Franco, as well as children born to mothers who lost it by a Franco regulation that forced a woman to acquire the nationality of her husband if he was a foreigner.

According to the latest update from the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, a total of 36,117 applications for nationality had reached the Consulate of Spain in Havana up to January 31, 2024, of which 24,087 had been approved and 358 denied.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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of service in our units.”

In case of acceptance, and with the approval of the Federation of Cuban Women, which also does recruitment and selection work, the Armed Forces carry out the medical check-up of the candidate and send her to preliminary training.

It is about fulfilling an old slogan, says Juvier Santos: “the inclusion of women in national defense,” which implies encouraging the entry of women in “all areas,” including the military and from an early age.

Since this Tuesday, Sancti Spíritus has been the national headquarters of the bastion, whose characteristics have been similar to those of the university, held in February. “It is an ideological bastion,” stressed the national leader of the Federation of Middle School Students (FEEM), which groups together pre-university students as well as those of polytechnics and other secondary education centers. According to Lanier Gómez, they are preparing for “any aggression” by the United States.

The official media published scenes of the development of the bastion in Sancti Spíritus, Las Tunas and Villa Clara, provinces where the exercise – in the words of the Caribbean Channel – has been met with greater “enthusiasm.”

Among the “attractions” of the Army, maneuvers with drones were the most recorded by Cuban Television cameras

Among the “attractions” of the Army, the maneuvers with drones – ordinary ones, of Chinese technology and without any type of weapon, but suitable for surveillance – were the most recorded by the cameras of Cuban Television. Exercises were also carried out with war tanks, armaments and hand-to-hand combat.

“We will be going to military units, and even the women will have conversations with our girls to encourage them to do military service,” said the president of the FEEM in Las Tunas, Marcos Flores.

In Santa Clara, the military arrived at Osvaldo Herrera pre-university – in the middle of Vidal Park – to propose studying for military careers to young people. They were accompanied by the camilitos, students who have embraced military training since the seventh grade in the Camilo Cienfuegos schools of the Armed Forces.

Lieutenant Colonel Rigoberto Hernández Machado, head of the Preparation and Advance Section of the Central Army, said that they impart “vocational information” for several careers: Combative Security, Communications, Radioelectronics and Military Intelligence. He did not say if his “campaign” had been successful.

In a year that began with the explosion of an arsenal in Melones, Holguín, in which 13 soldiers died – nine of them military service recruits – the Armed Forces have not stopped making public affirmations of principles. This, the third bastion celebrated at the national level this year, will end on March 15.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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“It is important to note that this is an administrative arrest and that the arrested person will be subjected to a legal process to determine if there were irregularities in his case,” the source added. This individual resided with a green card allegedly obtained illegally, but there are no other charges against him.

Among the hundreds of reactions to the HSI post, that of the Republican Congressman of Cuban origin Carlos Giménez stands out, who applauded the measure. “There are hundreds of agents of the murderous Castro dictatorship who now live in our community of victims and survivors who fled the regime. These thugs must be arrested and deported for violating our laws!” he said, and thanked the US security forces for spreading the news and not letting it go unnoticed.

Many other comments were from Cubans and migrants from other countries such as Venezuela or Nicaragua who provided images, names and data of possible repressors who reside in the United States.

Many other comments were from Cubans and migrants from other countries such as Venezuela or Nicaragua who provided images, names and data of possible repressors residing in the United States

During the past year, the independent press and the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba reported numerous cases of former regime officials who arrived in the United States in 2024 or earlier. Among them is
was Judge Melody González Pedraza, who arrived at Tampa Airport with a Humanitarian Parole Order, although in this case the airport authorities immediately denied her entry into the country, at which time she decided to request political asylum. The official, who is on the Foundation’s “list of repressors,” is now detained, pending a decision by the US authorities.

Other cases include former prosecutor Rosabel Roca Sampedro, who pronounced sentences against demonstrators on 11 July 2021; the president of the Municipal Assembly of Popular Power on the Island of Youth between 2019 and 2022, Liván Fuentes Álvarez, to whom the immigration authorities denied entry by revoking the Humanitarian Parole that was granted to him; and Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, former first secretary of the Communist Party in Cienfuegos, formerly part of the “Coordination and Support Team of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Hammer’s hyperactive agenda is “a shameless step back to the time when counterrevolutionary groups were promoted from the United States”

The text reviews the trajectory of the diplomat, saying he was very active in Africa, among other reasons for having facilitated the end of the conflict in Ethiopia and attempting to pacify Sudan. From the regime’s point of view, his interventions have served to destabilize the continent, and it accuses him of hiding crimes against humanity and promoting the start of the Sudanese civil war.

As for his presence in Cuba, the media criticizes Hammer for having his first meeting with the ambassador of the Czech Republic on the Island, a country they consider a promoter of actions against Cuba from the European Union (EU). Other meetings that have bothered the regime are Hammer’s meeting with the head of the US Southern Command, which “confirms the activation of a much more active and visible big-stick policy,” and the visit to the offices of Radio and TV Martí, financed by the Government it represents.

The three meetings, the article underlines, indicate the three axes of interest to Washington: “political parties,” including the religious element, support for “regime-change operatives from civil society movements” and “the alternative press media.”

In the field of the divine, the regime has another reproach: Hammer’s visit to the Basilica of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre “for the symbolism that she entails.” There is no reason, they insist, that Cuba should be on the US list of countries that violate religious freedom, and the proof is that the institutions themselves reject it. There is no lack of reason here in the argument: religion is free as long as it is subject to the Revolution.

The list of Hammer’s meetings that bother the regime is very extensive. The diplomat has engaged in an intense activity, promoted on social networks with the open intention of showing his support. Not a single one seems to save him from the criticisms. There is José Daniel Ferrer, whom he met at his home in Santiago de Cuba two weeks after his release from prison, and whose organization, the Patriotic Union of Cuba, is “discredited within Cuban society,” but surviving “thanks to those direct financings” to make believe that there is “organized and active opposition.”

Félix Navarro and Oscar Elías Biscet are others who are wronged by the official media and, by extension, the group of the 75 of the Black Spring, whom the text describes as “mercenaries who were denounced and prosecuted in 2003 for maintaining collaboration with the US secret services and terrorist groups based in Miami.”

The group of 75 of the Black Spring are described as “mercenaries who were denounced and prosecuted in 2003 for maintaining collaboration with the US secret services and terrorist groups based in Miami”

The same treatment is dispensed to the Ladies in White, who are labeled a movement that tries to emulate the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo [in Argentina] “when in Cuba they are neither tortured nor murdered.” It is particularly annoying – judging by the article – that they wear a color “associated with peace and purity,” as became clear when Sonia Álvarez, wife of Félix Navarro and mother of the political prisoner Sayli, was forbidden to visit her daughter in prison dressed in white. The article continues with particular cynicism about the group of women: “When they are prepared [to march], they say ’Cameras, action!’ and, coincidentally, CNN, EFE and other ’free media’ are there.”

Finally, the article dedicates a large section to the exiles installed in Madrid, “another of his favorites.” Hammer, who visited the Spanish capital in mid-February, had a meeting in which there were, among others, Yanelis Núñez, from the feminist platform Alas Tensas; Iliana Hernández and Luz Escobar, independent journalists; and Angélica Garrido, former political prisoner.

For all of them, another unfriendly definition is used: “new generation of ’change operatives’.” In addition, the text takes advantage of the recent cut in funds from the Agency for International Development (Usaid) and the National Foundation for Democracy (NED) that has put many of these projects in check, and it rejoices in calling them “’freely dependent’ on US government subsidies.”

Magdiel Jorge Castro, “expelled from Bolivia for violating the laws of the Andean country due to subversive activities” is also on the list, as are Amelia Calzadilla, “a media figure who intended to represent the alleged struggle of a Cuban mother and shortly after posting went to pieces,” and Anet Hernández, “activist of the intellectuals,” all of them supposedly led by Carolina Barrero, who has no qualifiers.

“Mike Hammer advances with his agenda under the spotlight of American diplomacy, as if the script of the Cold War had found a new protagonist,” the article continues, “but he will not manage to twist the course assumed by a people who, despite the pressures, continue to resist, immersed in the construction of a socialist project and a sovereign society.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Mostly elderly, and some without a cell phone, the Las Tunas residents surveyed agree that “the little piece of paper” is a more effective system

Periódico 26 confirms it: not even the disappearance of the collectors who came to homes during the pandemic in 2021, when rates rose and employees had to carry more cash, made many families adopt digital channels such as Transfermóvil or EnZona. On the contrary, many began to go to the UNE offices in person to make payments.

With the physical receipt, “the accounts were clearer,” says residents of Las Tunas interviewed by the newspaper. Mostly elderly, and some without a cell phone, those surveyed agreed that “the little piece of paper” is a more effective system. “We miss the ‘little piece of paper for the electricity,’ which was put in a dedicated place at home or stuck into various nooks and crannies. It gave us physical, palpable evidence and the details of a payment that now takes many by surprise, standing in front of a counter (at the company),” adds Periódico 26, but, it says, “another era is coming.”

The media recognizes that there are “people for whom this change means an insurmountable or difficult obstacle to overcome,” but assures that there are “positive examples,” and alternatives have been created for those who cannot adapt. “We are developing the option that consists of a telephone number so that the customer, when referring to his ID [customer number], knows the consumption and the rate to be paid,” adds the manager.

In rural areas, however, the implementation of virtual payments is going at a different pace. “This initiative is already in all municipalities except Amancio, Puerto Padre and Jesús Menéndez, because they have presented deficiencies in terms of personnel prepared to ensure it, and we do not want to do it without proper support,” notes the manager.

“The service with these characteristics is provided only in urban areas”

However, he recognizes that the lack of trained personnel is not the only problem: “The electronic service is provided only in urban areas; in rural areas, due to the lack of technologies that support it – ATMs, banks and mobile phones – it is still the meter reader who collects the bill in cash.”

The same happens with people in a vulnerable situation who cannot make the payment. “There were complaints, even among our own staff, and a meter reader goes to their homes to collect,” he explains.

Both Conesa and the newspaper overlook the energy situation. The frequent power outages not only limit the use of technology, but the already diminished internet connection worsens every time there is a blackout.

The implementation of bancarización in Las Tunas is not going as well as the UNE authorities would like. In 2012, the province had the second highest rate of digital payments for electricity, with more than 53% of operations made through banking applications. Beginning In 2024, others started using digital devices to pay, which indicates a changing scenario dependent on access to technology,” underlines Periódico 26.

The reason for that stagnation, it ventures to say, could be in the way in which the company decided to face the challenge of bancarización. Unlike in the territory, where the physical voucher was eliminated by area, in other provinces the process has been more or less organic. “The ’banishment’ of the printed voucher began exclusively by those who paid digitally,” explains the media.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

unfortunately, will stay there for life. And I have two other fractures in the upper back, which are compression fractures, which are not operable,” she describes.

According to the Canadian media that reported her story, the couple can’t help but get excited when they remember those days, but all the pain turns into rage when they relate the complexity of being compensated for what happened. “We are angry with Sunwing, which sends people to hotels in Cuba where they are not safe. I think they have a large share of responsibility.”

“What this case illustrates is the obligation to never make a trip without having a minimum of insurance,” says Jacqueline Bissonnette, a lawyer consulted for the case. Perreault, thanks to her work in the health field, had good insurance coverage for treatment and repatriation, but, as she points out, it is impossible to find a policy that covers absolutely everything.

She has needed treatment to overcome the trauma and physiotherapy to recover mobility, which she lost by 25%

After evaluating it with a lawyer, Perreault decided to claim 200,000 dollars from Sunwing. In addition to all the damage suffered, she has needed treatment to overcome the trauma and physiotherapy to recover mobility; she has lost 25% and it leads her to suffer from chronic back pain.

As if that were not enough, the accident has ruined one of her dreams. After retiring, she had opened a massage therapy center and was very excited, but it is too much of a physical job for her to continue doing it. “It really changed my life completely. There was a before and an after. I’m still suffering from the after effects,” she explains..

“The owner of a property is always responsible for the damage that occurs as a result of the collapse of his building. […] Therefore, it is clear that there is negligence, yes: the facilities must be safe. It is not normal for a pergola to collapse like this, suddenly,” says Alexandre Brosseau-Wery, another lawyer – specialist in this type of injury – consulted by Radio Canada.

One of the complications of the case is that the pergola was not from the hotel where the victim was staying, but the one next door. “If the incident had occurred in your hotel, the legal situation would be much simpler, because the tour operator from whom you bought the package could be considered responsible for the bad facilities,” says the expert.

“The hotel,” says an acquaintance of the affected couple who comes every year because she loves the beach,” has been obsolete for a long time, for years and years. Naturally, it’s going to get worse because they never repair what is broken.”

Indeed, Therrien claims to have photos that indicate that, after the accident, the pergolas were replaced. Brosseau-Wery urges the couple to try to prove that Sunwing “knew about the potential dangers existing in the neighborhood of the hotel and should have warned its customers.”

“It’s easy to wash your hands and then say: ’We can’t investigate, it’s Cuba’s thing’. “

The insurance multinational Zurich, which provides coverage to Sunwing, argues that both the hotel and the pergola belong to the Cuban State and it is not in their hands to question the conditions of the facilities. “It’s easy to wash your hands and then say: ’We can’t investigate, it’s Cuba’s business,’” says Therrien indignantly.

The media also consulted with Luc Renaud, professor in the Department of Urban and Tourist Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal, who told the Canadian public how the Cuban military company, Gaesa, controls “most of the luxury hotels. Tourism in Cuba remains an economic instrument at the service of the State and the Army,” he says.

Suing the Government is, according to the lawyer, “extremely difficult. People travel to a foreign country where there is a legal regime different from ours with actors who do not have their domicile in Quebec or who do not necessarily own properties in Quebec,” he adds.

The case, which was announced this Monday in the Canadian press, joins several other incidents that occurred to Canadians – the largest tourist market for Cuba in the last two years, despite its fall, in 2024, of almost 10%. Although the impact of these testimonies, increasingly common, has begun to generate distrust among tour operators, the Canadian Government and travelers from Canada, the number of Canadian tourists arriving on the Island is still overwhelming: 860,877 in 2024, far ahead of the Cuban community abroad that represents the second largest group, with 294,816 last year.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Pinillo, whose father is Cuban, says Jit, “is a lanky central defender who plays in Belgian soccer and was acclaimed by the fans. This time he has the coach’s approval.”

The closest antecedent in soccer of someone not born on the Island dates back to the convocation in 1966 of Antonio dos Santos. The Angolan athlete was studying on the Island and was asked to join the national team that “won the bronze medal at the Central Caribbean Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” recalled journalist Miguel Hernández Méndez. He also participated in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg (1967).

The national team coach, Yunielys Castillo, completed the call with goalkeepers Raico Arrozarena, Ismel Morgado and Yurdy Hodelín. For defense he called Carlos Vázquez, Yosel Piedra, Dariel Morejón, lvis Casanova, Alejandro Delgado and Karel Pérez.

In midfield, Pedro Cueto Bravo stands out for the official media. He was fundamental in the containment work in the defeat of Saint Kitts and Nevis and should be a starter next to Romario Torres, although he will also count on Karel Espino and Rey Ángel Rodríguez.

Anier Casanova and Daniel Filungo Díaz are others called up by the coach. The offensive weight will fall on Onel Hernández and Maikel Reyes.

On March 21, the first match will be played at the Antonio Maceo stadium in Santiago de Cuba, and the second on the 25th at the Ato Boldon Stadium of the Soca Warriors. The Island has participated 12 times in the Gold Cup but has only won five of its 40 games, never more than one in a tournament. Its best position was a fourth place in 1971.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.