U.S. softens warning for Cuban Americans traveling to the island

U.S. softens warning for Cuban Americans traveling to the island

Words that previously cautioned Cuban American travelers to beware
because they could be treated as Cuban nationals, have their U.S.
passports seized or even be drafted or have their children drafted into
the armed forces has been removed from travel information posted on U.S.
Embassy and State Department websites.
BY ABEL FERNÁNDEZ
staff@InCubaToday.com

The U.S. Embassy in Havana has pulled some wording from a previous
travel warning posted on its website, which cautioned Cuban American
travelers to beware because they could be treated as Cuban nationals,
have their U.S. passports seized or even be drafted or have their
children drafted into the armed forces.

No explanation on the updated travel information was issued. A call on
Tuesday from InCubaToday to the embassy in Havana about the change in
wording was referred to the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State in Washington, D.C. Efforts to get an explanation on
the change were not successful.

A statement issued by the State Department last week repeated the same
wording contained in the previous travel information: "The Government of
Cuba treats U.S. citizens born in Cuba, or those born in the United
States to Cuban parents, as Cuban citizens, and may subject them to a
number of restrictions and obligations, including military service."

That warning made its rounds on social media platforms and triggered
concern among Cuban Americans, especially at a time when U.S. travel to
the island is growing quickly because of the Obama administration's new
policy of "engagement," which promotes trips to the island as an
essential part of improving bilateral relations.

The travel warning, which appeared on both the U.S. Embassy and State
Department websites, was updated sometime between Friday and Tuesday. It
now states: "The Government of Cuba does not recognize the U.S.
nationality of U.S. citizens who are Cuban-born," and that "these
individuals will be treated solely as Cuban citizens and may be subject
to a range of restrictions and obligations. The Cuban government may
require these individuals to enter and depart Cuba using a Cuban passport."

The spokesperson said that the State Department provides information to
U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad on its website. The previous
travel information on the embassy's website dates back to at least 2004,
according to a web archive .

According to Miami-based immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen, confusion
in the travel information could be because, according to Cuba's
Constitution, children of Cuban nationals have the right to obtain Cuban
citizenship if they request it. But that does not mean they can be
forced to obtain it, he said.

"With this clarification of the embassy, ​​I don't think there is any
danger," Allen said. "The children of Cubans born in the United States
have the same protection as any American citizen in Cuba."

Allen also said he has never heard of any case of a Cuba-born U.S.
citizen of military age having been forced to serve in the Cuban armed
forces after traveling to the island. Cuba has a mandatory military
service system, in which everyone is supposed to serve 14 to 24 months
when they turn 16.

According to Allen, the U.S. embassy in Havana is "somehow warning Cuban
Americans traveling to the island to be well behaved."

Giancarlo Sopo, a founder of CubaOne Foundation — which provides free
trips to the island for second-generation Cuban Americans — said that
his organization had contacted the embassy in Havana following
widespread concern about the previously posted travel information. An
official told them that it was "inaccurate information" that would be
"corrected soon."

The number of Cuban Americans traveling to the island has increased
significantly. About 390,000 U.S. citizens of Cuban background visited
the island in 2015. In just the first four months of this year, some
116,000 Cuban Americans and 94,000 U.S. citizens visited, Cuba's
Ministry of Tourism reported.

Source: U.S. softens warning for Cuban Americans traveling to the island
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