Three years after the originally scheduled date, and almost two decades after the previous edition, Havana will host the 4th The Nation and Emigration Conference next November. The event, which had to be postponed due to the pandemic, was convened this Tuesday and will be held in the context of the 45th anniversary of the historic Dialogue of 1978, which for the first time sat down emigrants and island authorities to talk after 1959.
The Conference will take place in a very different context from then and also from previous editions. A severe economic crisis, a migratory wave, a still ineffective reform process, and new regulations and dynamics related to Cubans residing abroad are part of the country’s current scenario. Cuba, therefore, is today a different nation; even compared to 2020.
A broader and more effective insertion in the Cuban economy, migratory and consular aspects, the preservation of the culture and idiosyncrasies of Cuba among emigrants, and the approach of Cuban descendants to the island, are some of the topics that will be addressed during the event, as explained to OnCuba by Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Foreign Ministry general director of Consular Affairs and Attention to Cubans Resident Abroad.
4th The Nation and Emigration Conference: resuming dialogue in a different Cuba (I)
The main objective of the Conference, according to the diplomat, is to promote greater participation of Cuban emigrants in the life of the country, beyond the differences that may exist, and “project the future” of these relations. This -he stressed- is based on “respect for the sovereignty and independence of the country” and “always in order to strengthen the ties between Cuba and its nationals abroad.”
After explaining details about the call and the organization of the event, collected in the first part of this work, Soberón Guzmán agreed to answer questions from OnCuba about the context and purposes of the Conference.
Currently, a moratorium is in force, established during the pandemic, which allows Cubans to spend more than 24 months abroad without losing their residence in Cuba. What could be expected in this sense, taking into account that the public health and air connectivity conditions in which it was established have changed?
The moratorium remains. This was a measure that was adopted during COVID-19, but obviously, it also has a positive impact in terms of relations with Cubans abroad, and also for those who reside in Cuba, but travel abroad and had to experience the pandemic in other countries. During the most critical stage of the pandemic, and then with the improvement of the situation since the end of 2021, this impact has been perceived and, therefore, its validity has continued to be renewed.
The 24-month term to be outside the country without losing residence, which is currently not being complied with due to the moratorium, has a legal basis and if there is a change in this regard, that basis should be modified.
That issue is currently under study, but while that happens, the moratorium remains. What is clear is that whatever is decided on it and the term of stay of Cubans outside the country, that decision will always be aimed at contributing to a better bond with Cubans abroad.
Could the Conference be a good time to make an announcement in this direction or report new immigration measures?
The Conference, as I already said, will be a propitious moment to sit down to dialogue, to debate, to project the future of relations between Cuba and its nationals abroad. And although it could be understood as something symbolic to announce some measures in this scenario, until now not all the measures that have been adopted, the steps of rapprochement that have been taken, have coincided with The Nation and Emigration Conferences, of which, in addition, three editions have been carried out to date.
Some measures have been announced at these events, but many others have been adopted between one event and another, in other contexts, and always based on adapting the regulations to the country’s reality and strengthening ties with Cubans abroad. If this had not been done, the same progress would not have been made until today.
However, regardless of when they were announced, it does seem important to me to make it clear that there has been no measure adopted in these 45 years that can be said to have represented a setback in ties with Cubans abroad. It may be said that a measure contributed little, or that it contributed a lot, that what was established was sufficient or not enough at the time it was adopted, but what cannot be said is that there has been no progress in this direction.
All the measures adopted, without exception, have contributed in one way or another to the development of ties of the Cuban community abroad with the country. And the analysis that is being done in relation to the moratorium goes in the same direction.
When we were talking about the Conference’s program, you commented that it will coincide with the work on new bills related to migration, aliens and citizenship, and that the event could serve to consult those bills with the participants in the event. What state are these bills in and what can be expected from them?
These are three very important bills, which must be approved by the current legislature of the National Assembly. According to the current legislative schedule, the new Migration and Passport Law would be discussed at the end of this year. In the meantime, if my memory serves me right, the Citizenship Law is scheduled for April of next year, and the Immigration Law for a little later.
Right now we are in the process of the construction of those bills. The texts as such are not yet available, so I could not provide many details. But, what I can tell you is that these laws are aimed at updating what is regulated in this regard, to adjust them to the current scenario of the country, or to establish regulations in accordance with this context on aspects of what until now had not been legislated.
For example, on an issue such as obtaining Cuban citizenship, the new law will establish the requirements for it, something that was previously not possible. It must be remembered that the previous Constitution, that of 1976, only recognized Cuban citizenship and Cubans could not have another citizenship. That changed with the Magna Carta approved in 2019. Adjustments have been made on this subject based on lower-ranking regulations, decrees, but it is necessary to include all of this in more detail in the law.
It is necessary to establish, for example, not only how the son of a Cuban, but also the son of the son of a Cuban, obtains citizenship. And it is also important to specify other aspects related to this issue, all in order to facilitate Cuba’s relationship with its nationals abroad and their descendants.
Another issue, which today is not provided for in the law, is the possibility of renouncing Cuban citizenship. And that must also be worked on in terms of legislation.
In the case of the Migration and Passport Law, for example, the extension will cease to exist, based on the recently announced measures. The validity period of the document was also extended, and there are a number of other issues that must be updated and reflected in the legislation, taking into account that the current law is from 1976, although other measures have been taken since then.
And in the case of the Aliens Law, it would be the first we would have on this subject, the first legislation to regulate everything related to foreigners in Cuba.
In other words, we are talking about important laws, which require modifications in light of the current reality, but always thinking of strengthening ties with Cubans abroad.
The Conference has been convened at a time when Cuba is experiencing appreciable growth in migration. What reading do the Cuban authorities make of this phenomenon and its implications for the present and future of the country?
Indeed, in recent times there has been an increase in the flow of Cuban travelers abroad, as there is also an increase in the flow of Cuban travelers from abroad to Cuba, on permanent returns or visits.
When one analyzes this phenomenon, one realizes that of those Cubans who have traveled abroad in recent times — for example, those who left Cuba in 2022 — many are young people, women of reproductive age, and this undoubtedly has an impact on the demographic dynamics of the country. However, no immigration measure that has been adopted goes in the sense of restricting these trips, but rather facilitating them, allowing people to exercise that right.
As I already explained, although there may be underlying differences from a political point of view, the main motivation for this emigration is economic, as is the case with the vast majority of migrants in the world. And everything indicates that, until the country’s economic situation improves — and the impact that the United States blockade has on that desired improvement is known, due to the real effects it causes —, a reduction in these flows should not be expected, or a significant increase in the number of people who return permanently to Cuba.
So, what can be done so that these departures do not imply a permanent rupture of these people with the country and, in particular, how can a space such as The Nation and Emigration Conference contribute to this?
All these people who leave the country do so with some type of training. It can be university, it can be pre-university, it can be technical, but Cuba contributed to their educational and professional development. In addition, these people, to a greater or lesser extent, know the potential that exists in Cuba, in the different sectors.
In this sense, the Conference can help to create, to promote, mechanisms so that all these people, if they wish, can contribute in some way to the development of their country of origin, the country that formed them, in addition, free of charge, and also to the well-being of their family and friends in Cuba. And also that, at a certain moment, they have the possibility of having their life project in Cuba again. This, based on the fact that, with their contribution and that of other Cubans, from inside and outside, the country has managed to advance economically, and they consider Cuba as a place where they can carry out their lives, both personally and professionally.
The objective of the Conference is this: to exchange on what mechanisms, what ways, what projects can be created, can be implemented, so that everyone who is abroad if they wish, can maintain their links with the country and contribute to its development. Otherwise, we would be working for the development of other countries.
And how could that be achieved in practice?
It is important, as I said, to create mechanisms to facilitate these actions, and the will of all parties is also necessary. For example, what prevents us from doing something like Operation Walk, in which orthopedists from the United States and other countries come to operate in Cuba, but doing it with Cuban orthopedists who reside abroad and who regularly visit the country? Why can’t we organize something like this, a training that allows these doctors to contribute to the professional improvement of their Cuban colleagues, of people with whom they even worked?
Or, what prevents us from having a pavilion at the Havana International Trade Fair for Cuban businesspeople residing abroad, for businesspeople of Cuban origin? Well, now, in tune with the country’s economic transformations, we are going to have it for the first time at the 2023 Trade Fair. This is a very important step to promote the participation of those Cubans in the country’s economy, and it is an experience that should be replicated in other events of this type.
Or, what prevents Cuba, as has been done in recent times, from inviting businesspeople of Cuban origin to fairs and other commercial events? Or that Cuban academicians who live abroad come to give lectures in the country, just as more and more Cuban artists come to give concerts and exhibitions in the country? Or, what prevents a high-level Cuban technician or professional who lives outside the country from being an advisor to a Cuban company?
In short, what prevents us from creating the conditions for the Cuban community to become, if it wishes, a driving force of projects and actions of interest, both for those Cubans and for the well-being and development of their country? That is the policy line today in relations between Cuba and its nationals abroad: to create mechanisms so that everyone who can and wants to participate does so, and thus contributes to the development of the country and Cuba’s relations with its community abroad.
Author
Eric Caraballoso
