VOA新闻杂志2023--US Reopens Visa, Consular Services in Cuba

US Reopens Visa, Consular¹ Services in Cuba

The United States Embassy² in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services on Wednesday. The embassy says it will prioritize immigration permits to help Cubans join their families in the U.S.

The move comes during one of the largest waves ever of Cuban migration³ to the U.S. Economic and political problems on the island are among reasons Cubans are leaving.

The embassy expects to give out at least 20,000 visas a year. But that is just a small part of the total number of Cubans migrating⁴ towards the U.S.

In late December, U.S. officials reported stopping Cubans 34,675 times along the Mexico border in November, up 21 percent from 28,848 times in October.

That number has slowly risen each month. Cubans are now the second-largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows.

Most Cuban migrants come to the U.S. after first traveling to Nicaragua by air and then going by land to the U.S. border with Mexico. However, others make a dangerous trip by sea. They travel 90 miles to the Florida coast in unsafe boats filled with migrants.

The renewal⁵ of visa work at the embassy comes after a series of migration talks and visits by U.S. officials to Cuba in recent months. It may be a sign that relations between the two governments are slowly improving.

Visa and consular services were closed on the island in 2017 after embassy staff were struck by many health problems, possibly caused by sonic attacks. However, the attacks remain largely unexplained.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has reduced some of the restrictions⁶ on things like money sent to Cubans from family living in the U.S. and travel from Miami to Cuba. But restrictions on tourist travel to Cuba remain in place. So do restrictions on imports and exports of many goods.

The U.S. has also disagreed with the Cuban government's treatment of protesters in 2021. At that time, people were protesting a lack of food and medicine and the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Cuban officials have repeatedly said they are hopeful about talks with the U.S. and steps to reopen visa services. Cuban Deputy⁷ Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Cossio said in November that making sure migration is safe and legal is a shared goal of both countries.

But Cossio also blamed the migration of tens of thousands from the island on U.S. sanctions⁸. He said U.S. policies that aim to lower the quality of life in Cuba are a direct cause of migration.

Words in This Story

consular -adj. referring to work an embassy does for the citizens of its country

prioritize -v. to consider something as the most important or to be done first, before other things

tourist -adj. referring to travel attractions and activities done when traveling.

sanctions -n. restrictions, limitations, often of a financial nature, against an organization or country, commonly used to pressure or punish.

1 consular   

a.领事的

参考例句：

• He has rounded out twenty years in the consular service. 他在领事馆工作已整整20年了。
• Consular invoices are declarations made at the consulate of the importing country. 领事发票是进口国领事馆签发的一种申报书。

2 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 migrating   

v.迁移，移往( migrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mudflats offer a winter home to thousands of migrating swans. 泥滩成为成千上万只迁徙的天鹅越冬的场所。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many Asians are migrating to the West. 许多亚洲人移民去了西方国家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 deputy   

n.代理人，代表，副职；adj.代理的，副的

参考例句：

• John will act as a deputy for me during my absence.我离开期间，约翰将代理我的职务。
• She is the deputy headmistress of the school.她是那所学校的代理校长。

8 sanctions   

批准( sanction的名词复数 )； 认可； 制裁； 约束力

参考例句：

• There was general acquiescence in the UN sanctions. 普遍默认了联合国的制裁。
• Trade sanctions were imposed against any country that refused to sign the agreement. 凡拒签该协议的国家均受到贸易制裁。