Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) issued the following statement following a letter he sent to Secretary Pompeo regarding improving access to consular services for Cuban Nationals.
“President Trump and his administration have implemented a strong U.S.-Cuba policy by imposing tough sanctions, cutting off the revenue that would be used to oppress the Cuban people or be used to oppose U.S. interests in places such as Venezuela. These sanctions are key to promoting human rights and democracy in Cuba. However, due to the safety concerns raised by health attacks against twenty-six Americans stationed in Cuba, the U.S. was forced to greatly reduce staff in Havana. This has led to delays in consular services for most Cuban nationals, and an indefinite delay to the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program.
“I have expressed concerns to the administration regarding issues with the visa process for Cuban nationals in the past. The lack of staff, required travel to a third country, and pause of the CFRP program have made applying for lawful U.S. entry exceedingly burdensome. This week, I sent a letter to Secretary Pompeo requesting that he assess ways to improve consular services for Cuban nationals not associated with the regime. I will continue to work with the administration on improving consular access for non-regime Cuban nationals seeking U.S. entry.”
You may view the letter here.
