Nearly 10,000 Cubans residing in Uruguay are condemned to lose their legal status if nothing is done. The Government of the South American country has become serious with an immigration requirement that, although it had been in force for years, only a few months ago it began to demand: legal entry accreditation from Brazil, which thousands of people do not have.
According to account the uruguayan medium The Observer This Tuesday, two years ago, thousands of Cubans who could not be considered refugees arrived in the country and requested this type of status, although they later gave up the request. Now, they are required to process a visa to reside in Uruguay, but for this they must show the entry and exit stamps from Brazil that accredit their regular transit. Lacking them, they would be left in a difficult situation to solve.
“Our most conservative calculation is that between 9,000 and 10,000 Cubans living in Uruguay could be left in that limbo, irregular, due to the new requirements”
“Our most conservative estimate is that between 9,000 and 10,000 Cubans living in Uruguay could be left in that limbo, irregular, due to the new demands,” Alberto Gianotti, from the Migrant Support Network, told the outlet.
Cubans began arriving in Uruguay in a significant way six years ago, when US President Barack Obama ended the dry foot/wet foot policy and migrants from the island began to seek other destinations.
Uruguay, one of the richest countries in the region, attracted Cubans, who began to double the number of immigrants after arriving by a route that began in Guyana, visa-free for residents of the island. From there, they crossed the huge jungles of Brazil in a very complicated journey and evaded border controls after paying coyotes that took them to the South American country, where they asked for refuge.
During the time their application was being processed, those affected received temporary residency, which provided them access to education, healthcare and employment, but when their applications were rejected -since the Government considered that they could not prove danger to life-, they had to process their stay in the country.
El Observador affirms that the Cubans then resorted to a trick that consisted of making an appointment at the border consulates with Brazil and simulating a new entry. The transit stamp requirement in the neighboring country was already in place but was never required. From this 2023, the immigration authorities received an order to start demanding it.
Cuba is, along with Haiti and the Dominican Republic, one of the very few Latin American countries to which Uruguay requires a visa and does so in application of the principle of reciprocity, for which the Government rejects the revocation of the permit, as requested by some organizations that defend the rights of migrants.
The Observer affirms that Uruguay has no intention “to deport the undocumented, much less to accumulate irregular inhabitants”, with the consequent problems that would derive from it, for which reason Montevideo rushes to find a solution that is not expected to be easy.
‘El Observador’ affirms that Uruguay has no intention “of deporting the undocumented, much less accumulating irregular inhabitants”
“We are fighting for the visa to be removed: not only to solve the underlying problem, but also to prevent migrants from depending on human trafficking networks and organized crime to reach Uruguay,” Gianotti told the outlet.
Rinche Roodenburg, another source of The Observer who works in a humanitarian organization defends the national policy in general terms, but admits that it is normal for problems to arise. “Uruguay has good intentions, regardless of the government in power, is to respect the right to migrate, but from time to time bureaucratic obstacles appear that end up curtailing rights and leaving thousands in limbo,” she said.
Foreign Ministry sources told The Observer that “the State’s intention is to find a fundamental solution and that immigration be as regular as possible”, but that visa exemption is impossible.
Obtaining refugee status in Uruguay has been difficult for Cubans. In the first six months of last year, only three people achieved it and data from the Refugee Commission (Core) indicate that they are the most rejected national group, with 85% of the total, while Venezuelans were approved for 100 %.
The Foreign Ministry then pointed out that the majority of Cubans allege economic reasons in the process. “And the economic reasons, when they say it in the interview, are not reasons that justify a shelter.”
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