Costa Ricans Marrying Cubans Detained in Havana
Costa Rica's Consul General in Cuba, José María Penabad, says that Costa Ricans who travel to Cuba with the intent of marriage with Cuban nationals, have been detained and some deported by Cuban authorities, charging them with "trafficking of persons".

Penabad expressed his concern over the increase of the number of Costa Ricans who arrange for travel to Cuba with the promise of marriage, in most cases not having ever met the intended spouse, who end in Cuban prisons.

Cuban officials say that the intention of the marriage is to "legally" remove the person from Cuba and are taking strong measures against it.

The Consul said that in the past week, at least seven Costa Ricans have been deported or detained at the Cuban international airport José Martí, who admitted to visiting Cuba with the intention of marriage. Penabad said that they are immediately accused by Cuban officials as being financially insolvent and trafficking in persons and immediately taken to immigration jail. In other cases, days later Cuban officials catch with the person and deport them.

Some Cubans see marriage to a Costa Rican as a way out of Cuba, a situation that is arranged by lawyers in Costa Rica through Cuban contacts.

According to Dirección de Migración y Extranjería, there have been 50 marriages registered at immigration by Costa Ricans to Cubans between August 2005 and January 2006. Cubans wanting to visit Costa Rica need a visa issued by the Consulado de Cuba, which it is not permitted to issue, but, if marriage is involved, the visa can then be issued by the Costa Rican immigration service,

Roberto Tovar, Costa Rica's Chancellor, said that he will forward the report by his Consul in Cuba to immigration officials.