Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cubans-protest-havana-embassy-panama-tightens-visa-requirements-2022-03-09/
Hundreds of Cubans gathered around the Panama Embassy in Cuba’s capital city of Havana on Wednesday to protest the new visa regulations that prevent the growing number of Cuban migrants from moving north. They must cross through Panama to get to the US and other northern countries and many already had flights booked out of Panama City airport. The new visa would require an application, 50 dollars, and does not go into effect until this Sunday March 13. However, this was not effectively conveyed to the population, resulting in protesters demanding an answer outside of the embassy. The “transit” visa is aimed to create a more orderly migration as demands for flights from Havana to cities in Central America skyrocketed as Nicaragua lifted visa requirements in November. This created opportunities for Cuban residents to migrate to Mexico and the US. This paralleled a similar situation in February when Costa Rica also imposed a transit visa requirement for Cubans.
After Nicaragua lifted visa requirements for Cuban nationals, the influx of Cuban migrants through central America to reach Nicaragua has inundated the airlines and countries as a whole. The same response from Costa Rica and Panama, increasing visa requirements, could be a step in the right direction to organize migration and alleviate pressure on these countries. Cuba has been under US sanctions for 60 years that have hurt the socialist country and there are no signs of relief. Their alliance with communist powers has continued as they have good relations with Russia and Venezuela. Despite this transit visa being a better way to control and regulate migration, Cuban citizens are struggling under the economic sanctions and many had to cancel flights as a result of the miscommunication and the new regulations.
The geographical location of Panama and Costa Rica has left the countries to deal with the heavy amounts of migrants coming from southern American countries. To reach northern countries, most notably the US and Mexico, migrants must cross through the countries and, with the increased air travel, almost all flights north out of Cuba’s capital city of Havana must make stops in some of these central american countries. Panama has become a transit country for thousands of immigrants around the world attempting to reach the US, Canada, and Mexico. In recent years, the US immigration system has put pressure on Central American countries to stop migrants from continuing north, which could have contributed to Panama’s decision to strengthen visa requirements.