A government spokesperson explains the advantages of the new Migration Law regarding property ownership for overseas residents
14ymedio, Madrid, 27 June 2024 — Doubts have been raised in Cuba since the preliminary draft bills of the Migration, Immigration and Citizenship laws were published last week. Not yet passed in the National Assembly and the subsequent regulations that specify more specific issues, the Cuban authorities were under the scrutiny of international media on Wednesday, before whom they clarified issues such as putting an end to the loss of property.
“No one loses their home, no one loses their car, no one loses their property due to being residents abroad. That is not what the law says and we ratify that no one loses it. In that we are categorical,” said First Colonel Mario Méndez Mayedo, head of the Identification and Immigration Office of the Ministry of the Interior.
The future Migration Law, published on June 17, indicates that Cubans residing abroad will retain their rights as Cuban citizens – as long as they do not renounce their nationality – from which it followed that they would not lose their properties, as until now, if they had been out of the country for more than 24 months without returning.
Some people had expressed their doubts regarding, for example, real estate, for allegedly contradicting the current Housing Law, but yesterday Menéndez wanted to settle the matter. “All persons maintaining their residency in the country since 2013, although they also live abroad, are favored by this law and do not lose any property rights,” he insisted.
“All persons maintaining their residency in the country since 2013, although they also live abroad, are favored by this law and do not lose any property rights”
This meeting, aimed at explaining the regulations expected to be implemented in 2025 after their approval next July – during the National Assembly of People’s Power session- also addressed an issue that has caused heated reactions in recent days: the deprivation of Cuban nationality. The law grants the President of the Republic and the Minister of the Interior the authority in matters of citizenship, making them competent to resolve the administrative cases regarding its acquisition, loss, deprivation, renunciation and recovery.
That attribution had generated among public opinion the perception that both are empowered to arbitrarily withdraw citizenship status, something that, on paper, is not the case. Both are ultimately responsible for a case initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office which, at least in theory, must comply with the law.
However, the authorities retain power in extremis where arbitrariness is more likely to occur since it is expected that “the requir
