Cubans demand regularization of immigration to Uruguay

Cuban immigrants in Uruguay protested in front of Montevideo's administrative tower this Thursday.

“Visas are no longer required to start the residency process,” demanded the victims, who held up placards in front of the presidential headquarters.

Earlier, they made demands against Ministry of Foreign Affairs of UruguayAuthorities have removed barriers to access a residence in the South American country, the media reported HD Underline on Facebook.

A census published a few weeks ago confirmed that 20% of the foreign population in Uruguay are Cuban immigrants.

The President responded to media inquiries regarding this Luis Lacalle Pou He said, “Many people came to our country from Venezuela and Cuba, not because they wanted to, in fact, they miss us like crazy, I meet them everywhere, I met a while ago. A CubanBut they have come because there is no other option,'' he said.

However, Cubans must face difficult immigration processes to regularize their status in the country, where thousands of Cubans were left without documents due to the new requirements to obtain visas that would allow them to move legally.

The move particularly affects Cubans who have given up applying for political asylum and have needed visas to legally stay within Uruguay's borders since May last year.

However, the government started to get visas Entry and exit stamps from Brazil proving regular transit are required. This requirement, which the government had previously turned a blind eye to, left almost 10,000 Cubans in confusion.

“Our calculation is that 9,000 to 10,000 Cubans living in Uruguay may be in an irregular, irregular situation due to the new requirements to access a visa to enter the country,” explained Alberto Gianotti, founder of the support network. For the migrant.

In 2022, Uruguay denied asylum to 85% of Cuban applicants. However, despite the new immigration ban, the Uruguayan government admitted in May of last year that it “has no intention of deporting undocumented Cubans.”