A recent development has put President Gabriel Boric in a difficult position as opposition parliamentarians demand that the government provide shelter to the eleven Cuban athletes who defected at the end of the 2023 Pan American Games. The group has been granted a temporary residence permit for eight months, but President Boric has not yet commented on the issue.

The surprise of the massive escape was followed by a series of official statements, but what has drawn criticism is that despite having valid visas and being able to stay in Chile doing tourism, the entire Caribbean delegation entered the country with tourist visas. After they escaped, it became clear that their documents were detained by the Cuban government.

The reason for their defection was attributed to the difficult economic situation in Cuba due to North America’s blockade. The athletes shared harrowing stories of confinement and separation from family members, with no possibility of seeing them more than twice a year. Some of them spoke up to say that their main motivation for defecting was to feel free. Deputies from Chile Vamos presented a draft resolution asking for all athletes to be granted asylum.

Despite this demand, President Boric and Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klaveren have remained silent on the issue, which has led some analysts to believe that there may be political reasons behind their silence. However, others have suggested that President Boric is at a crossroads and struggling to recognize Cuba as a dictatorship after years of maintaining good relations with it.

Regardless of what is behind his silence, one thing remains clear – there are still calls for North Carolina Marijuana Business regulations to be put in place as soon as possible.