This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/cubans-begin-pilot-transfer-from-costa-rica-to-mexico/2016/01/13/854df348-b9b4-11e5-85cd-5ad59bc19432_story.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Cubans begin pilot transfer from Costa Rica to Mexico Stranded Cuban migrants brought by air, bus to Mexico
(about 3 hours later)
PEDRO DE ALVARADO, Guatemala — After more than three months stranded in Costa Rica, 180 of the 8,000 Cuban migrants trapped there finally began their long-awaited trip north toward the U.S. border, flying into El Salvador and then travelling by bus to Guatemala on Wednesday. CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico — Nearly 200 Cuban migrants traveled by air and across land through Central America and into southern Mexico on Wednesday, resuming their long-delayed journey toward the United States after several months stranded in Costa Rica amid a diplomatic tiff with Nicaragua.
The first pilot flight took off from Costa Rica’s Daniel Oduber airport in the northern city of Liberia late Tuesday night as part of a regional agreement to overcome Nicaragua’s refusal to let them through by land. One by one the 180 Cubans descended from chartered buses and were processed by Mexican authorities, who issued transit visas granting them 20 days to leave the country.
The migrants appeared to get special treatment along the way: They were greeted by El Salvador’s foreign minister upon their arrival in that country even as, when they got to the Guatemalan border, they saw a busload of Salvadoran migrants headed the other way after being deported back to their home country from the United States. Sergei Acosta, a 35-year-old farmer, was the first to set foot on Mexican soil. He said he was elated despite a long night of travel by plane from Costa Rica to El Salvador, and from there by bus through Guatemala to Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico.
The Cubans won’t have to worry about that since U.S. immigration policy that allows them to stay if they reach the United States. That special status initially raised some resentment in Central America, whose citizens are often deported from the U.S. if they enter without visas. “I’m not too tired. I’m very excited to have arrived,” Acosta told The Associated Press. He said he left Cuba in search of economic opportunity, and was optimistic about landing a job in the United States and then sending for his wife and daughter to join him. “It’s the need to have a better life.”
But the Cubans’ trip was so far smooth. Private, chartered transportation and transit visas had already been arranged for them. The air and bus bridge is the first stage of a pilot program to relieve a logjam of some 8,000 Cubans who have been trapped at the Costa Rican border with Nicaragua, which closed its frontier to them in November.
Four rented buses brought the Cubans to the Pedro de Alvarado crossing on Guatemala’s border with El Salvador. Human rights activists accompanied them. The first flight took off from the northern Costa Rican city of Liberia late Tuesday as part of a regional agreement to overcome Nicaragua’s refusal to let them through by land.
Ruben Chil Cruz, who left his wife and two children behind in Cuba, said “It has all been very quick, thank God.” The migrants appeared to get special treatment along the way: They were greeted by El Salvador’s foreign minister upon arrival in that country even as, when they got to the Guatemalan border, they saw a busload of Salvadoran migrants headed the other way after being deported back from the United States.
However, Chil Cruz said he wasn’t sure exactly, once he reaches the Mexican border, how he would cross that country, known for vicious attacks on and kidnappings of migrants, especially those from Central America. He said he didn’t plan to use a smuggler to cross Mexico and hoped Mexican immigration officials at the border could give him advice on how to travel to the U.S. border. From there, he said, he plans to travel to Miami. The Cubans won’t have to worry about that due to a U.S. immigration policy that lets them stay if they reach the United States. That special status initially raised some resentment in Central America nations whose citizens are often deported from the U.S. if they enter without visas.
But he expected the trip to be quick. “I think I will get to the United States by Sunday,” he said. But the Cubans’ trip was smooth so far. Private chartered transportation and transit visas had already been arranged for them.
For most Central American migrants, the trip takes weeks, and sometimes months. Ruben Chil Cruz, who left his wife and two children behind in Cuba, said he first flew to Ecuador and entered as a tourist. From there, a smuggler helped him reach Costa Rica by boat and by foot.
The Cubans once got through even faster, but Nicaragua — an ally of Cuba — closed its border to Cubans leaving the island on Nov. 13. Most Cubans came to Panama and Costa Rica via a longtime air bridge through Ecuador, before that South American country began demanding visas for Cubans in December. “I saw the opportunity and I took it,” said Chil, who aims to reach Miami, a large Cuban enclave. “I think I will get to the United States by Sunday at the latest.”
This month, the three Central American nations and Mexico reached an agreement on an air bridge to get around Nicaragua’s refusal to let the Cubans through. But Chil said he wasn’t sure exactly how he would cross Mexico, known for vicious attacks on and kidnappings of migrants, especially those from Central America. He said he didn’t plan to use a smuggler in the country and hoped immigration officials there could give him advice on how to travel to the U.S.
There has been an exodus of migrants from Cuba in recent months after the communist-run country loosened requirements for leaving. Many potential migrants in Cuba are also worried that the re-establishment of relations between the United States and Raul Castro’s government could their privileged immigration treatment in the United States. Officials have said that while they arranged the logistics for the first of the Cubans to leapfrog Nicaragua, it was up to the migrants to cover the cost of their passage.
On Tuesday, some of the Cubans selected for the first flight from Costa Rica expressed joy that they would finally be on their way. Chil Cruz said the air and bus trip to the Guatemala-Mexico border set him back $555, which he paid out of his savings.
“They told me four days ago and I still don’t believe it, I didn’t expect to be in the first group,” said Lislenia Fernandez, who arrived in Costa Rica from Panama on Nov. 8 with her husband Yordani Casanova. “I’m happy because I can travel with my husband.” “It has all been very quick, thank God,” he said.
Fernandez hopes to get to Miami, where her brother-in-law is, but she had to leave behind her sons aged 4 and 8. “We are going to look for a way to bring them over.” For most Central American migrants, the trip takes weeks or sometimes months.
Arnobis Tellez left behind three children and a grandchild in Cuba. Like Chil Cruz, he wasn’t sure how he would cross through Mexico. Emigration from Cuba has spiked dramatically in the year since Havana and Washington announced they would restore diplomatic relations. Many Cuban migrants say they’re making the journey now for fear that detente could bring an end to the U.S. policies that given them privileged treatment.
Backers of United States’ Cuban Adjustment Act say it offers refuge to islanders fleeing Cuba’s communist system. Havana argues that the policy encourages Cubans to risk dangerous migratory voyages and causes a brain drain of many the country’s youngest and brightest.
Nicaragua, a close ally of Havana, closed its southern frontier to the Cubans on Nov. 13.
Arnobis Tellez also left behind three children and a grandchild in Cuba. Like Chil, he wasn’t sure how he would cross through Mexico.
“These last months have been terrifying, because nobody thought this was going to happen,” Tellez said. “We thought that by this time we would all be in the United States.”“These last months have been terrifying, because nobody thought this was going to happen,” Tellez said. “We thought that by this time we would all be in the United States.”
Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said he wished all migrants in the region had such a happy story. Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said he wished all migrants had such a happy story.
“With this action (for the Cubans) we are showing dignified treatment and respect for human rights, which are things that the administration of El Salvador’s president ... is asking for our own migrants.” “With this action (for the Cubans) we are showing dignified treatment and respect for human rights,” he said, “which are things that the administration of El Salvador’s president ... is asking for our own migrants.”
___
Associated Press writer Javier Cordoba reported from La Cruz, Costa Rica.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.