Cubans Propose Paying for Air Transport Out of Costa Rica

Havana/A group of Cuban migrants stranded in the Costa Rican city of La Cruz on the border with Nicaragua, have sent a letter to the country’s government in San Jose, and to other countries involved in finding a solution to the crisis, asking them to analyze the option of a “humanitarian corridor” by air, as revealed Friday in the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.

Nearly 4,000 Cubans are in the north of Costa Rica where, as of November 14, Nicaragua has blocked their passage to continue on their way to the United States. The signatories of the document, some 200 people staying at the de La Cruz Night School assure that most of them have enough money to meet the cost of the flight.

“Today in La Cruz, Guanacaste province, there are a significant number of Cuban immigrants who are able to afford to travel without occasioning any government expenditures,” they say. They explain they sold their homes and belongings before the trip and they have the support of family and friends abroad.

This letter is in addition to other statements shared through the Facebook page, “Let the Cubans pass.” In a post published this Thursday from Peñas Blancas, the migrants addressed the Nicaraguan people. “The decision of President Daniel Ortego not only promotes human trafficking, but creates a problem where none existed, putting political interests above human rights,” they write.

Just a day earlier, the Cubans sent their “heartfelt thanks” to the institutions and people of Costa Rica. “At no time has it been our objective to disturb your tranquility and daily routine, but given the current circumstances we have been forced to stay longer than expected,” they explain.