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WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. and Cuban officials

discussed migration issues on Wednesday as the Biden
administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that
have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the United
States from Mexico.

The high-level meeting in Washington followed one held in Havana in

November and comes a year after the Democratic administration of
U.S. President Joe Biden resumed migration talks after a long hiatus
under former President Donald Trump, a Republican seeking
reelection in 2024.

The U.S. State Department offered few details about the latest
discussions, saying in a statement the talks "highlighted areas of
successful cooperation on migration, while also identifying issues that
have been obstacles."

The head of the Cuban delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos

Fernandez de Cossio, said beforehand that "extreme and inhumane
measures" have hurt Cuban livelihoods and spurred emigration, a
reference to the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba and other sanctions.

Asked about the accusation, a State Department official stressed that

the embargo is enshrined in congressional law and includes
exemptions for exports of food, medicine and other humanitarian
goods heading to Cuba.

The U.S. embassy in Havana resumed full immigrant visa processing

and consular services in January for the first time since 2017 in a bid
to stem record numbers of Cubans trying to enter the United States
from Mexico.

After Biden adopted more restrictive border security measures in

January, the number of Cubans and other migrants caught at the
border plummeted.
However, the Biden administration is preparing for a possible rise in
illegal crossings with COVID restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border set
to lift on May 11.
Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler