Nicaragua Firmly Stands Behind Ban on US-Bound Cubans Crossing Its Borders

Nicaragua is still refusing to ease the ban on Cuban migrants who are making the way to the United States via their territory. In a meeting in El Salvador which was held Tuesday, Nicaragua remained firm in its stance, saying that it was unalterable.

Nicaragua's refusal to let the Cuban migrants through Nicaragua promptly caused Nicaragua's neighbor, Costa Rica, to accuse Nicaragua of being obstinate. On the other hand, Nicaragua accused Costa Rica of dumping the Cuban migrants on their territory. Both Central American neighbors have border disputes, which have been further strained because of the influx of Cuban migrants, Yahoo reports.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez of Costa Rica announced on his official Twitter account that a second meeting which would include representatives from Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador, would be held later Tuesday to come up with a solution for the Cuban migration situation.

Over 3,000 Cubans are currently stranded in Costa Rica on the border. The Cubans are unable to cross the border as it is reinforced with Nicaraguan soldiers and police. As of now, Costa Rica, The Red Cross, as well as some church organizations are providing the stranded Cubans with food, supplies and shelter.

While Nicaragua is a close ally of Cuba, it has accused Costa Rica of being meddlesome in its political affairs. They have accused the pro-United States country of interfering with the country's sovereignty by providing the Cubans with temporary transit visas and demanding Nicaragua to lift the ban.

Deputy Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said that Nicaragua will not tolerate the implementation of illegal policies. He also added that Costa Rica must do all they can to ensure that all Cuban migrants would be removed from the borders.

However, despite all this the Cubans have one goal on their mind and that is to gain passage into the United States. It is reported by Prensa Latina that hundreds of Cubans make trip each week are by flying via Ecuador. The South American country does not require visas from Cubans. The migrants would then make their way through Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. From there, the migrants would have to enter Nicaragua as well as the rest of Central America into Mexico before reaching the US border.

Many of the migrants would encounter many dangers, often encountering smugglers along the way. Many of these Cuban migrants have become victims of a human-trafficking ring in Costa Rica, which left many of them penniless.