PENAS BLANCAS, Nicaragua, (Reuters) – Nicaragua yesterday closed its border with Costa Rica to hundreds of Cubans headed for the United States, stoking diplomatic tensions over a growing wave of migrants making the journey north from the Communist-ruled island.
Nicaragua’s government accused Costa Rica of sparking a “humanitarian crisis” after its southern neighbour issued transit visas over the weekend to more than 1,000 Cubans who had been detained at its border with Panama demanding the right to proceed. Central America and Mexico have registered a surge in migrants from the island as the process of detente between Washing-ton and Havana announced in December stirs fears that long-standing U.S. asylum rights for Cubans may soon end.
