Washington DC -The Fourth National Meeting of Cuban Residents in the United States will take place in the US capital on Saturday.

Cubans residents coming from nearly twenty states will attend the event which takes place amidst the complex situation resulting from the current US Administration policies towards the island.

The gathering is preceded by similar meetings of Cubans living abroad held this month in Panama and Milan, to demonstrate their commitment to their country of birth and their defense of island’s sovereignty and the Cuban people´s right to peace and development.

Andrés Gómez, national coordinator of the Antonio Maceo Brigade told Radio Miami that this Friday, participants currently in Washington to attend the encounter will visit the US Congress to voice the views of Cuban families about their trips to the island and the economic blockade.

"These are moments of turmoil and confusion in the relations between the United States and Cuba, caused by the arbitrary measures adopted by Trump," he said.

The activist considered that the meeting in Washington is necessary to "to better defend our rights to travel to Cuba freely and without fear, and to be able to relate our relatives and Cuban society in general."

During 2016, it is estimated that some 329 000 Cubans residing in the United States visited the island.