Ecuador imposes visa requirement to stem Cuban migration

Ecuador imposes visa requirement to stem Cuban migration
Associated Press

Ecuador announced Thursday that it will begin requiring Cubans to get
entry visas beginning Tuesday, seeking to discourage the flow of migrants.

Deputy Foreign Minister Xavier Lasso said Ecuador wants to curb the flow
of migrants who have been using Ecuador as a transit country to reach
other nations without permission.

He said such migration is risky and "puts at risk men, women and children."

"We do not close the door to Cuba," but Ecuador is committed to efforts
by the Latin American community to prevent migration without
authorization, Lasso said.

His announcement came after a weekend meeting in El Salvador where
Central American and other officials, including Ecuador's foreign
minister, discussed the plight of 3,000 U.S.-bound Cuban migrants who
are stranded at the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

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The vast majority of those Cubans started their journey in Ecuador,
which until now has allowed any foreigner to enter without a visa.

The year-old detente between the U.S. and Washington has set off a surge
in Cuban migrants headed for the United States. They fear the
normalization of relations will bring an end to Cold War-era special
immigration privileges that give U.S. residency to any Cuban who sets
foot on U.S. soil.

Source: Ecuador imposes visa requirement to stem Cuban migration - LA
Times -
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-cuba-migrants-ecuador-20151126-story.html