The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 4, 2023

U.S. Embassy in Cuba to Resume Processing Immigrant Visas for First Time Since 2017
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba will begin processing immigrant visas in Havana
today for the first time in over five years. Visa and consular services
have been closed on the island since 2017. This comes as a growing
number of Cubans are trying to reach the United States as Cuba continues
to suffer economic fallout from decades of U.S. sanctions. Over the
weekend, at least 500 Cuban asylum seekers arrived in makeshift boats in
South Florida. Many landed in Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida
Keys, leading authorities to temporarily close the national park.