People wait in a line as they are organized to enter the U.S. embassy on the day of its reopening for visa and consular services in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco)
In the midst of the largest Cuban migration to South Florida in a decade, the U.S. embassy in Cuba is renewing its visa and consular services.
The embassy is set to start processing immigrant visas as the U.S. looks to aid in the reunion of families that were broken up in their quest to leave the communist-run island country.
The announcement comes on the heels of at least two dozen Cuban migrants being rescued from small boats by commercial cruise liners. The past weekend alone saw more than 300 migrants from Cuba touching down on the continental United States.
According to NPR, the embassy will process 20,000 visa applications, which would provide many more people with a legal and safe route to enter. In November, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol encountered Cuban migrants 34,675 times along the Mexican border, which was a 21 percent jump from October when 28,848 migrants were stopped by officials.
Efforts by the U.S. to quell migrant tensions with Cuba have been ongoing and officials have conducted several talks in recent months surrounding migration with Havana.
"Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance U.S. interests," the U.S.Embassy in Cuba said in a statement.
Alzheimer’s mainly affects the elderly, who are eligible for Medicare, but people under 65 — even, rarely, as young as their 30s — also can get diagnosed. They are more likely to have commercial coverage.
The vote by the state's Public Utilities Commission came despite reservations from city officials and residents spurred by erratic behavior that resulted in unmanned vehicles blocking traffic, including the path of emergency vehicles.
The teenager was airlifted to a hospital Tuesday for injuries including nine broken vertebrae, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung and a concussion. He was discharged Saturday.
Authorities are also warning that the effort to find and identify the dead is just beginning. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Saturday that crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area.
Some doctors say the drug should be held for three weeks before sedation to accommodate the delayed emptying of the stomach, which can cause patients to inhale food and liquid into their lungs.
