Havana - Despite the politicization of migration by the United States and the obstacles to travels imposed on Cubans, the Caribbean island insists on supporting an orderly and safe flow of people.

The Cuban Government's stance, repeated in a recent declaration from the Foreign Ministry, is based on respect for individual rights and is a humanitarian matter.

Moreover, Cuban officials have warned that turning the back on safe migration is to put people on the brink of becoming victims of criminal groups that dominate human trafficking in the region.

Kidnappings, extortions, murders and rapes committed by those criminals abound in the media, and the victims are from several countries, including Cuba.

However, Washington does not care about the Cubans' case, because they 'are running away from communism' or 'are willing to pay any price to be free', thus ignoring that migration is a global phenomenon mainly guided by economic motivations.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

The matrix of opinions also includes accusing Cuba of being a threat in the field of migration, an aspect that the United States assumes as a matter of national security.

In that regard, the Cuban Foreign Ministry charged this month that Washington is the true problem.

Over a week ago, the US Government reduced the validity of the B2 visa for Cubans from five years to three months, with a single entry, under the pretext of alleged reciprocity with the treatment given by Cuba to US citizens.

Havana condemned that decision, which it described as 'an additional obstacle to the Cuban citizens' exercise of the right to visit their relatives in that country'.

This measure complements the suspension of services at the US Consulate in Havana, the unjustified interruption of visas to Cubans, forcing them to travel to third countries without any guarantees, and the non-compliance with the quota of visas established in the migration agreements, the Foreign Ministry underlined.

Once again, the US Government favors illegal migration and creates new victims for the human trafficking networks that it claims to fight, warned Cuban authorities, who recalled that children and women are the most vulnerable.

In 2013, Cuba updated its migration policy to facilitate travels and bring Cubans on either side of the Straits of Florida closer.

SOME STATISTICS

Statistics show Cuba's political willingness to favor the legal flow of human beings, despite their destinations.

Last year, nearly 552,000 Cubans traveled abroad for personal reasons, a considerable increase compared to 2017, when some 460,000 Cubans traveled overseas.

According to official statistics, the total number of trips in 2018, considering those who traveled more than once, was 1.11 million.

On the other hand, authorities facilitate travels by Cuban residents abroad and nearly 300,000, with more than 600,000 travels in total, more than 517,753 reported on 2017, came from the United States alone.

In light of a global phenomenon, which raises concern and the search for responses in multilateral scenarios like the United Nations, if we want to act with good will and humanitarian reasons, it would be wise to cut off the wings of the merchants of death by promoting regular, orderly and safe migration.