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promised reform of Cuba’s migration rules that, for half a century, have controlled who can leave the island, who can return and how long they can be gone.

Any loosening of controls would be a step toward eliminating one of the most deeply resented restrictions on Cubans’ liberty and a milestone on President Raúl Castro’s gradual march toward economic and social reform. Cuban officials have hinted for years that a change might be coming, but the bureaucratic system limiting travel remains in place.

the reform could spur economic migration and deepen ties between the island and the two million members of the diaspora, whose money and business experience may be vital to the government’s plans to drastically enlarge the private sector.