In an effort to better understand the difficulties faced in Central America by Cuban migrants headed to the southern U.S. border, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) traveled last week to the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border area.
Tens of thousands of Cubans have crossed to Latin America in the past year before migrating over land to the U.S. Border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials. Cubans who are admitted or paroled into the U.S., under a 1996 federal law, can qualify for expedited proceedings to become a legal immigrant.
The borders of Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize were closed to Cubans on Nov. 15, leaving as many as 8,000 migrants stranded in Costa Rica.
“We have seen thousands of Cubans migrating to Ecuador and then traveling through Central American countries, and we need to know what is going on there,” Granger said. “The Costa Ricans are one of our most stable partners in Latin America. Helping Costa Rica maintain its security will help the United States maintain national security.”
After touring migrant centers along Costa Rica’s border, Granger said that they were well-maintained. She then received briefings from U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica S. Fitzgerald Haney, the Costa Rican ambassador to the U.S., the U.S. Coast Guard and a number of Costa Rican officials.
In addition, Granger met with Costa Rican President Guillermo Solis, who called for greater attention from the U.S. on the movement of drugs and human trafficking in Central America.
“Costa Rica, like other Central American countries, faces the problems of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and weapons trafficking all mixed together,” Granger said. “In my opinion, the U.S. must help Costa Rica improve its security, which will help us provide more security at our own borders.”
Granger, the chairman of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, also headed the House Speaker’s Working Group on national security and the humanitarian crisis on the southern border last year.