The United States has reinforced a visa restriction policy aimed at those who operate transportation that facilitates irregular migration, especially charter flights between Cuba and Nicaragua. Implemented by the Department of State, this policy affects owners and executives of air, land and maritime transportation companies that benefit from the trafficking of vulnerable migrants.

This new regulation, which expands and replaces the previous "Nicaragua 3C" policy of November 2023, aims to increase the security and authenticity of communications from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the measure aims to combat transportation operations that exploit vulnerable migrants and facilitate their irregular entry into the United States. The policy seeks to prevent smugglers, private companies and governments from benefiting from illegal migration.

The Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, emphasized on social media that the new policy targets operators who facilitate irregular migration and put migrants at risk.

In an interview, Eric Jacobstein, deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, noted that the migration route between Cuba and Nicaragua facilitates the smuggling of migrants. The State Department is working with governments and the private sector to eliminate this exploitative practice.

The migratory exodus from Cuba, which began after the visa exemption agreed with Nicaragua in 2021, has brought more than 400,000 migrants to the United States in the last two years. Manuel Orozco, from the Inter-American Dialogue, stated that Daniel Ortega's government uses migration as a political tool against the United States.

Nicaragua only requires a valid passport, a round-trip ticket, and a hotel reservation or lodging information for Cubans to enter the country. This agreement seeks to promote trade, tourism and humanitarian family relations.

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