Neither Trips nor Family Reunions: Trump’s Latest Betrayal of Cubans and Venezuelans

If in the coming days Marcos cannot leave, that is, pack his suitcase, say goodbye to his family, catch a flight at the Havana airport, and land in the United States in a matter of minutes, it will be because he obeyed the law. He has waited nine long years to reunite with his father. He refused to pay a smuggler, travel any migratory route through Central America, arrive in Mexico, and cross the border illegally. Now, on the day of his appointment at the Havana embassy, Donald Trump has stated that Cuba is one of the 12 countries whose citizens will face travel restrictions to the United States starting this Monday. Marcos is nervous. Family and friends cannot believe it. No one knows exactly what will happen.

“Everyone is devastated. It’s nine years of his life that no longer make sense,” asserts his friend Mabel Cuesta, a Cuban academic living in Houston, who shared the testimony with Adolfo Kunjuk News. “He waited this time to go through a legal process, as demanded by the U.S. government, and the reward for that willingness to follow the law is to punish him.”

Marco, 32, whose name we have changed to protect his legal process, went to the diplomatic mission in Havana last Thursday to apply for an F2B visa, granted to unmarried children over 21 years old. Although the application was approved, the visa has not yet been issued by the consular officials. At 12:01 a.m. this Monday, everything changed for Cubans like him, both immigrants and non-immigrants, with B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J type visas. “Now he is in limbo; maybe he cannot travel,” says Cuesta.

These are the consequences beginning to arise from the latest measure taken by the Trump Administration to curb the entry of foreigners into the country, as it set out to do from day one in the White House, just as it did during its first term. If in 2017 the travel bans targeted about eight countries, mostly Muslim, today the ban extends to others from Africa and the Middle East, and, on this side of the world, to Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela. The diaspora from these last two nations, particularly affected since the re-election of the Republican, did not hesitate to support him in the November elections.

Regarding Cuba, Trump stated in his recent announcement that it is a state sponsor of terrorism, whose government “does not cooperate or share enough law enforcement information with the United States,” which has “historically” refused to accept the repatriation of its nationals and, to top it off, has an “overstay rate” in the country after the expiration of B-1/B-2 visas (7.69%), and another of 18.75% for F, M, and J visas.

From Venezuela, the current president cites similar reasons: that the country “lacks a competent or cooperative central authority” to issue passports or civil documents, that it does not have adequate control and verification measures, that it has “historically” refused to accept its nationals back, and that it has an “overstay rate” after the expiration of B-1/B-2 visas of 9.83%.

“I hope the community sees it as another stab in the back”

The restrictions on Cubans and Venezuelans are preceded by the suspension of humanitarian parole or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which granted them certain benefits in the United States. Little by little, the government has taken away work permits, legal guarantees, and any type of assistance they received. Cathy Caminero, a 54-year-old Venezuelan residing in Virginia, believes that, more than a measure to guarantee “national security,” as Trump says, it is a “racist action, to segregate, to justify actions that do not respect due process,” she asserts.

Caminero claims that many like her will not be able to receive family members from Venezuela this year, who normally attend their children’s graduations. “This is a time for vacations and graduations; many in this country are waiting for our loved ones, our parents, our grandparents, to witness the graduations of our children, who have had to grow up or graduate here. Now they cannot come to celebrate with us,” she says.

However, this is a measure that does not surprise her, as her community has been among the most hit since Trump came to power. “One day he takes one thing, another day another; he wants to deport Venezuelans without negotiating due process, but at the same time negotiates with Nicolás Maduro. There is a lot of inconsistency in this government,” she asserts.

That is why some feel that this—like other anti-immigrant laws dictated by the White House—comes as a sort of disloyalty to communities that voted for Trump, and that now feel that the president has turned his back on them. Cuesta asserts that this is yet another “abandonment,” another “betrayal.” Her community, the Cuban-American diaspora, is a loyal Republican voter base, and “this president has done nothing but continue marginalizing the most vulnerable parts of the Cuban-American family, that is, those still in Cuba, or those who arrived in recent years.”

“It is yet another demonstration of how in this white supremacist order, any alternate subject that shows otherness—and such is the case of Cubans, though they do not want to admit it—will be marginalized and essentially placed at a disadvantage,” says the academic. “I hope the community feels it for what it is, as another stab in the back to the possibility of reinventing ourselves in exile.”

An “arbitrary and profoundly cruel” measure

The decision to prohibit and restrict travel from citizens of a dozen nations apparently came after an attack by an Egyptian citizen on a group proclaiming the release of hostages in Gaza. Although Egypt does not appear on the list of censored countries, the incident was enough for Trump to once again lash out at those attempting to reach the United States. “We don’t want them,” he said in a video announcing the new measure that has put tourists, regular travelers, students, and families on edge. That is why it has already begun to be rejected by several groups and organizations.

“We are talking about hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens who will not be able to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, without exceptions,” said María José Espinosa, foreign policy expert and executive director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA). “These people have valid visas for five years. They are individuals with regular documentation, who have come to the country to visit their families or to participate in academic, commercial, and cultural exchanges.”

According to Espinosa, recent history shows that travel bans, like those implemented under the Trump administration, “have proven not to be effective tools for preventing real threats of terrorism. Rather, they have isolated the United States and weakened its position in the world.” And although she finds the measure “arbitrary and profoundly cruel,” the CEDA director goes further and insists it is also confusing from a legal standpoint and “promotes chaos.”

“The proclamation states that those who already have visas can keep them, yet a spokesperson from the State Department said that even if people already have a visa, they will not be able to use it while the proclamation is in effect,” she claims. “It is curious that after so many years preparing this proclamation, the final version is so confusing.”

Certainly, the measure has caused significant anxiety and confusion among several citizens who were planning to travel to the country soon. Although the announcement states that individuals with valid visas are exempt from the ban, as well as those who have permanent residency, athletes, or Afghans benefiting from the special immigrant visa program, among others, in reality, no one feels safe from the reach of Trump’s order.

“When news like this happens, it is inevitable to feel worry and unease,” says a young Cuban who asked to remain anonymous and is about to arrive at the University of Pennsylvania to pursue a doctorate. “I have always felt that anything can affect my entry to the United States. Nothing guarantees entry, even with an approved visa.” Although she has been worried about her future since the beginning of the new administration, she says that now “the atmosphere feels tenser than usual.” “My status as a citizen of one of the countries included in this and other lists is one of absolute vulnerability and instability,” she insists.