The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. January 4, 2023 U.S. Embassy in Cuba to Resume Processing Immigrant Visas for First Time Since 2017 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Embassy in Cuba will begin processing immigrant visas in Havana today for the first time in over five years. Visa and consular services have been closed on the island since 2017. This comes as a growing number of Cubans are trying to reach the United States as Cuba continues to suffer economic fallout from decades of U.S. sanctions. Over the weekend, at least 500 Cuban asylum seekers arrived in makeshift boats in South Florida. Many landed in Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys, leading authorities to temporarily close the national park. .