Cuban President Raul Castro expressed his country's willingness to work with United States President Donald Trump if Cuba maintains its independence, The Associated Press reports.
Castro said Wednesday at a summit for Latin American and Caribbean leaders in the Dominican Republic that "Cuba and the United States can cooperate and live together in a civilized manner."
He added that Cuba will not "make concessions inherent to its independence and sovereignty," but will continue to seek a regular relationship with Washington.
Former President Barack Obama ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, which protected Cuban immigrants who enter America without visas, just before the end of his time in office.
The Cuban government had long opposed the policy, saying it lured large amounts of its citizens away, while many Cubans hope Trump will reverse the decision, according to The New York Times.
Trump's recent executive actions on immigration, one calling for the building of his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and another removing support for sanctuary cities, have some South American leaders concerned.
President Salvador Sanchez of El Salvador said his country will confront Trump's changes, and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said those assembled should "assume a clear position in defense of migrants, not only from Latin America and the Caribbean, but the entire world."
Even behind closed doors, the group continued to oppose protectionism and closed borders, according to Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz.
"Latin America and the Caribbean have taken a stand in favor of the integration, in favor of the opening, in favor of the preservation of the advances that have been made in the matter of free trade," he said.
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