Mexico to fast-track visas for Cubans with family already in country

close Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for February 16

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

Cubans with relatives already in Mexico will be eligible for new expedited applications for Mexican visas, the country’s Foreign Relations Department announced Wednesday.

BORDER PATROL IN MIAMI ENCOUNTER 88 CUBAN MIGRANTS ON 5 BOATS IN FLORIDA KEYS AHEAD OF NEW YEAR

Special visa appointments will be held starting in April at the Mexican consulate in Havana, the agency said.

Cubans with relatives in Mexico will be eligible for an expedited visa application process in the country.

Deteriorating economic conditions and political dissent in Cuba have caused an exodus from the island, and many Cubans cross into Mexico seeking to reach the U.S. border.

CUBAN MIGRANTS SENT BACK BY COAST GUARD, WARNS OF HURRICANE DANGER

Of the 40,000 Cubans who entered Mexico in 2020, 5,000 were returned to the island and 20,000 were given some form of residency or humanitarian visa in Mexico. It was not clear what happened to the remainder, though many enter the United States. U.S. authorities have a hard time returning Cubans to the island because of strained relations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has had a close relationshio with Cuban leaders, importing everything from Cuban doctors and Cuban-made coronavirus vaccines to crushed stone ballast from Cuba for a train project.