Mexico sets up express lane for Cuban migrants’ relatives
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cubans with relatives already in Mexico will be eligible for new expedited applications for Mexican visas, the country’s Foreign Relations Department announced Wednesday.
Special visa appointments will be held starting in April at the Mexican consulate in Havana, the agency said.
Deteriorating economic conditions and political dissent in Cuba have caused an exodus from the island, and many Cubans cross into Mexico seeking to reach the U.S. border.
Of the 40,000 Cubans who entered Mexico in 2020, 5,000 were returned to the island and 20,000 were given some form of residency or humanitarian visa in Mexico. It was not clear what happened to the remainder, though many enter the United States. U.S. authorities have a hard time returning Cubans to the island because of strained relations.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has had a close relationshio with Cuban leaders, importing everything from Cuban doctors and Cuban-made coronavirus vaccines to crushed stone ballast from Cuba for a train project.
Mexico arrests cartel member suspected of leading fentanyl trade
The arrest, in the state of Sinaloa just weeks after President Joe Biden visited Mexico, followed the recent high-profile arrest of cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán.
Mexico’s defense ministry said Sunday that security forces had arrested a suspected top cartel member accused of leading the region’s production of fentanyl, which has killed thousands in the United States.
The arrest, which took place on Thursday in the state of Sinaloa, came just weeks after President Joe Biden visited Mexico, and followed the recent high-profile arrest of cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán.
The suspect is described as being a leading logistics chief for the famed narco trafficker known as “Mayo Zambada,” who jointly headed the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
“It should be noted that the accused is considered the main producer of fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, in addition to carrying out the large-scale transfer of cocaine from Central and South America to the U.S,” the ministry said in a statement.
Following standard procedure in Mexico, it named him as Jose “N,” not giving his full name.
