By Pastor Herrera Macurán
Horizonte Cubano News
August 26, 2026 — Afternoon Edition
For decades, immigration has been inseparable from the relationship between Cuba and the United States.
Every major political confrontation between Washington and Havana eventually reaches the same place:
the Cuban family.
A policy changes in Washington.
A regulation changes in Havana.
Flights are interrupted or restored.
Visa procedures move from one country to another and back again.
Migration programs open, close or change.
Enforcement priorities shift.
And families are left trying to understand what the latest political decision means for a mother, a son, a grandparent or a spouse.
This has gone on for too long.
Cuban families should not become collateral damage in a political conflict they did not create.
The Cuban Family Now Lives in More Than One Country
Modern Cuban families are frequently transnational.
A mother may live in Havana while her children live in Florida.
A grandparent may remain in Matanzas while grandchildren grow up in Miami.
Brothers and sisters may be divided among Cuba, the United States, Spain, Mexico or other countries.
That reality has consequences.
Immigration policy is not simply moving individuals across borders.
It affects marriages.
It affects children.
It affects elderly parents.
It affects caregiving.
It affects family finances.
It affects whether people can be present when someone becomes sick or dies.
Governments have the authority to establish immigration rules.
But policymakers should understand the human structures those rules affect.
Legal Immigration Must Work If We Want Less Irregular Migration
There is a basic contradiction in immigration policy that Washington should address.
If the United States wants people to use legal immigration channels rather than irregular routes, those legal channels must function predictably.
A person considering migration makes choices based partly on whether a lawful pathway appears realistic.
When legal processes become excessively uncertain or inaccessible, desperation can push people toward dangerous alternatives.
That does not justify violating immigration law.
It does mean policymakers should understand incentives.
A credible immigration system needs both enforcement and functioning legal mechanisms.
Otherwise the government sends two contradictory messages:
Do not come illegally.
But do not expect the legal process to work efficiently either.
That is not sustainable policy.
Family Reunification Should Be Predictable
Family reunification has long been one of the foundations of American immigration law.
It should not mean automatic admission for everyone with a relative in the United States.
There must be eligibility requirements, security screening, documentation and legal procedures.
But once Congress establishes a lawful family immigration category, applicants should be able to understand the process.
What documents are required?
Approximately how long should the process take?
Where will the interview occur?
What happens when additional evidence is needed?
What avenues exist when a case becomes stuck?
Predictability matters.
People can organize their lives around a difficult rule.
It is much harder to organize their lives around constant uncertainty.
Elderly Parents Deserve Particular Attention
Cuba’s demographic situation makes family separation especially serious.
Many older Cubans remain on the island while younger relatives establish themselves abroad.
Those relatives frequently become an essential source of financial and practical support.
As parents age, the problem becomes more complicated.
Who takes them to medical appointments?
Who obtains medicines?
Who helps when mobility declines?
Who responds to an emergency?
Immigration policy cannot solve every family problem.
But policymakers should recognize that prolonged family separation has consequences extending far beyond politics.
A visa file represents a person.
And behind that person may be an entire family waiting.
Children Should Not Inherit a Political Conflict
Perhaps the saddest consequence of six decades of confrontation is that new generations continue inheriting disputes that began before they were born.
A Cuban child born today had nothing to do with 1959.
Neither did a young Cuban American born in Miami.
Yet both may grow up inside a political relationship still dominated by events from their grandparents’ generation.
History matters.
It should be remembered.
But history should help nations understand their mistakes, not require every generation to repeat them.
The objective of American policy should be protecting American interests in the present while building conditions for a better future.
That includes recognizing that maintaining family connections can contribute to long-term stability between societies.
Travel Is More Than Tourism
Family travel between the United States and Cuba is sometimes discussed almost entirely through the lens of money.
How much does travel economically benefit Cuba?
Where does a traveler stay?
Where does the money go?
Those are legitimate policy questions.
But family travel has another dimension.
A son visiting his mother is not merely a tourist.
A grandmother meeting her grandchildren is not simply an economic transaction.
A Cuban American returning for a funeral is not engaging in an abstract geopolitical exercise.
Policy should be capable of distinguishing between legitimate national-security concerns and ordinary human relationships.
The existence of political conflict does not erase family bonds.
Havana Has Responsibilities Too
This cannot be a conversation exclusively about Washington.
The Cuban government also has responsibilities toward Cuban families.
It should facilitate lawful travel.
It should avoid unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.
It should provide clear documentation procedures.
It should recognize the reality of a global Cuban diaspora.
And political disagreement should never determine whether Cubans are treated with dignity when entering or leaving their country of birth.
If both governments claim to care about Cuban families, both governments should demonstrate it through policy.
Migration Should Not Be Used as Political Pressure
Human migration is powerful precisely because it affects governments politically.
Large migration flows can create pressure on neighboring countries.
They can overwhelm border systems.
They can become major electoral issues.
That makes migration tempting as a geopolitical instrument.
It should not be one.
Neither government should benefit politically from creating conditions that encourage uncontrolled migration.
The United States and Cuba have profound disagreements.
They will continue to have them.
But preventing dangerous and disorderly migration is an area where cooperation serves both countries.
It also serves Cuban families.
A Different Standard for Success
For decades, politicians have measured Cuba policy according to ideological objectives.
Perhaps another measurement should be added.
Are fewer Cuban families being separated?
Can people use orderly legal migration channels?
Can families understand the rules?
Can relatives travel safely?
Can elderly parents maintain relationships with children abroad?
Can Cubans make decisions about migration without believing that a dangerous journey is their only realistic option?
Those outcomes may not produce dramatic political speeches.
But they would improve real lives.
Governments Have Borders. Families Have Bonds.
The United States has the right to enforce its immigration laws.
Cuba has the right to regulate entry into its territory.
Neither principle requires indifference to families.
After more than sixty years of political confrontation, Washington and Havana should at least recognize one shared reality:
The Cuban family survived everything.
Revolution.
Exile.
Migration.
Economic crisis.
Political confrontation.
Generational change.
And separation across the Florida Straits.
It should not have to remain permanently trapped between two governments.
Immigration policy must have rules.
Borders must have laws.
Governments must protect their national interests.
But policy should never forget the people living underneath it.
Governments have borders.
Families have bonds.
And Cuban families should not have to sacrifice those bonds simply because Washington and Havana have spent generations unable to resolve their differences.
Pastor Herrera Macurán is the founder of Horizonte Cubano News. The views expressed in this article are those of the author.