A U.S. State Department official says long-planned migration talks with Cuba have been delayed until next year.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the talks had been scheduled for this month but were pushed back to February. The reason for the postponement was not clear.
Migration talks between the U.S. and Cuba took place this past July after a six-year break.
In May, the U.S. government offered to restart the negotiations as part of President Barack Obama's effort to improve relations with Cuba. In April, the president eased travel and money transfer restrictions on Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island.
A U.S. embargo against Cuba remains in place.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush suspended the migration talks after the last round in 2003.
The U.S. employs a policy for illegal Cuban immigrants that essentially allows Cubans who make it to U.S. soil to stay. Those intercepted at sea are most often returned.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.