Roundup: Regional disagreement traps 8,000 Cuban migrants in Costa Rica

Disagreement among South American countries had kept more than 8,000 Cuban migrants bound for the U.S. in Costa Rica for 50 days by Saturday.

The journey for many of these migrants began in Ecuador in November, where they flew after the country lifted visa restrictions for Cuban travellers.

From there, they began a perilous journey through Colombia, Central America and Mexico to reach the U.S. where the "wet feet, dry feet" policy allows any Cubans who set foot on American soil to be granted asylum and be fast-tracked for a green card.

Many of the migrants have turned to people traffickers to get across those borders, according to Costa Rican Minister of Communication Mauricio Herrera.

Herrera told Xinhua that Costa Rican government has been active in identifying and dismantling the trafficking rings, which charge up to 13,000 U.S. dollars per person for the trip.

"We must find ways for these people to continue their journey in a safe, legal, dignified and humane manner," he added.

However, on Nov. 13, Nicaragua, which seats to the north of Costa Rica, closed off its borders to Cubans, sparking a humanitarian crisis for Costa Rica.

By the middle of December, around 8,000 Cubans had gathered in Costa Rica and Panama, with no way of continuing their journey.

To cope with the influx of Cubans, Costa Rica has built 37 shelters, most of which along the Nicaraguan border.

Costa Rica brought up the topic during a meeting of the Central American Integration System (CISA) in El Salvador but Guatemala and Belize rejected a proposal that would see migrants on their soils before continuing their journey by land to Mexico.

This refusal led to Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis declaring that his country would not participate in future SICA forums.

"Costa Rica's actions are coherent with our history of protecting human rights. The way we have managed this crisis through solidarity is a fundamental part of the Costa Rican identity," Herrera said.

This burgeoning humanitarian crisis in Central America appeared to find a temporary solution on Dec. 29 when regional countries agreed to begin airlifting around 8,000 Cuban migrants from Costa Rica to El Salvador.

With the first test flight set for early January, the migrants would then be transferred to Mexico by bus before reaching their final destination.

"We are waiting for the test flight to refine the details needed to make sure everything goes as well as possible," said Herrera. Endi