Central American nations announce deal on Cuban migrants

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2015 file photo, a Cuban woman migrant uses her cell phone while other Cubans sleep, outside of the border control building in Penas Blancas, Costa Rica, on the border with Nicaragua which closed its borders to Cuban migrants. The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in a Dec. 28 statement that the first humanitarian transfer will airlift the Cuban migrants from that country to El Salvador in January. From there they will continue by bus toward Mexico. The number of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has reached at least 8,000 since neighboring Nicaragua closed its border to them weeks ago. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File) FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2015 file photo, a Cuban woman migrant uses her cell phone while other Cubans sleep, outside of the border control building in Penas Blancas, Costa Rica, on the border with Nicaragua which closed its borders to Cuban migrants. The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in a Dec. 28 statement that the first humanitarian transfer will airlift the Cuban migrants from that country to El Salvador in January. From there they will continue by bus toward Mexico. The number of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has reached at least 8,000 since neighboring Nicaragua closed its border to them weeks ago. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)

By Associated Press December 28, 2015 2 min read

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) – Central American nations have reached a deal to let the first of thousands of stranded Cuban migrants continue their journey north toward the United States next month, officials said Monday.

The humanitarian transfer will airlift an unspecified number of Cubans the first week of January from Costa Rica to El Salvador, from where they will continue by bus toward Mexico, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Guatemalan government, which hosted a diplomatic meeting earlier in the day to consider the issue, described it as a “pilot” program and said a work group has been tasked with coordinating logistics.

The two governments did not immediately release further details, citing some nations’ desire for discretion on what has become a diplomatic flashpoint between Costa Rica and neighboring Nicaragua.

The number of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has reached at least 8,000 since Nicaragua closed its border to them weeks ago. The islanders say they are trying to reach the United States, where favorable migratory policies toward Cubans mean nearly all are allowed to stay and apply for residency.