Cuban Migrants in Costa Rica get a Lift to the US After Central American Countries Reach Agreement

Thousands of Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica for more than a month can now proceed with their journey to the United States.

This was the result of the recent agreement of Central American nations in Guatemala City on Monday, as per Al Jazeera. Some of the officials which joined the talks prior to the agreement were from Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Costa Rica and the International Organization for Migration

Set to be in effect in January, the deal states that the stranded Cuban migrants will be airlifted to El Salvador and taken to Mexico by bus, and then proceed to the United States.

In addition, Reuters mentioned that an estimated 250 migrants will be initially flown to El Salvador. It also noted that there are still no clear details on who will shoulder the travel expenses of the migrants since these topics are to be discussed in future meetings.

"The solution emerging is an absolute exception and only for those people who entered national territory legally," said Costa Rica foreign minister Manuel Gonzalez in the Al Jazeera report.

Revisions in the deal are still expected in the coming weeks since diplomats are still scheduled to meet to discuss logistical details.

BBC explained that the legislation in America provides preferential treatment to Cuban migrants since they are allowed to enter the country and apply for residency once they are at the border.

Individuals caught crossing the border through the sea are sent back to Cuba under the "wet foot, dry foot" policy.

But the same report noted that a lot of Cuban migrants are fearing that the improvement in the relations between Washington and Havana could signal an end to their preferential treatment.

The number of Cuban migrants traveling to the United States has reportedly surged after the two countries announced that they have agreed to restore relations last year.

It was indicated in the BBC report that the present crisis with the migrants started when Nicaragua, an ally of Cuba, denied access to migrants coming from Costa Rica.

An estimated 7,000 migrants have stayed on Costa Rican side of the border, which began in November.

According to Miami Herald, Cubans still prefer to travel to the United States because of the migratory policies for them, where they are allowed entry and eventually to apply for residency.

The head of the Catholic church has also recently asked for generosity from the Central American nations when dealing with the crisis.

"I invite the countries of the region to renew with generosity all necessary efforts in order to find a rapid solution to this humanitarian drama," Pope Francis mentioned on Sunday at the St Peter's Square in Vatican as per BBC.