On April 17, the U.S. and Cuba held a law enforcement dialogue in Washington, D.C. The main objective was to advance discussions at the working levels of the two governments. [1]
A U.S. offical said, ” Effective cooperation in criminal matters may sometimes include the exchange of information, such as information on fugitives or other wanted persons, or real-time communication between the United States Coast Guard and the Cuban Border Guard to detect human smugglers or drug traffickers.”
According to that official, “these discussions are not a new initiative and do not represent new diplomatic activity” between Washington and Havana, but rather “are routine working-level discussions that are carried out within the framework of the broader dialogue on the law enforcement between the United States and Cuba.”
The U.S. official said that for decades, the US Coast Guard and the Regional Security Office of the [U.S.] Embassy in Havana have maintained working-level communication channels with the Cuban Government to cooperate on issues of mutual interest, such as migration. irregularity and the security problems faced by diplomatic personnel and US citizens in Cuba.”
“Participating in these talks underscores the United States’ commitment to maintaining constructive talks with Cuba, when appropriate, to advance US security interests.“
Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossío, who led the Cuban delegation, struck a more conciliatory tone and told CBS News that his government was open to accepting more deportation flights from the United States. Currently, Cossío said Cuba is receiving one deportation flight per month, but he suggested that number was decided by the U.S. side and that Cuban authorities have previously said they were willing to accept more.
A State Department spokesperson said that Cuban authorities “have accepted a regular schedule of removal flights since the Migration Talks in April 2023. We are pleased to see these flights return to a more regular cadence.” He also said, “Ensuring safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration between Cuba and the United States remains a primary interest of the United States, consistent with our interest in fostering family reunification, and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.Increased law enforcement cooperation enables the United States to better protect the American people and national security and to facilitate bringing criminals to justice.”
“Cuban officials also asked for relief from U.S. economic sanctions, according to a statement by the Cuban Foreign Ministry. The government is nearly bankrupt. It was recently unable to pay for shipments of oil and food that were aboard ships already in Cuban waters, officials revealed on state television. The Cuban government blames the U.S. embargo for the situation, but for years has been unable to reform its socialist economy, which is centrally planned and bogged down by bureaucratic restrictions and mismanagement.”
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[1] Flores, Biden administration hosts ‘Cuban Day’ at the White House. Here is what to expect. Gazette Xtra (April 18, 2024);
Menoyo Florian, Washington and Havana talk about police and criminal cooperation in another bilateral meeting, Diario de Cuba (April 18, 2022).