Will Cuban Immigrants Lose Asylum?

With Obama’s announcement to open trade with communist Cuba, both Americans and native Cubans fear what this proposal will lead to.

The United States has openly accepted Cuban Immigrants with the enforced “wet foot, dry foot” policy – meaning if a Cuban immigrant touches American soil they receive asylum, but if they are caught at sea coming to the U.S. they will be sent back.

Obama’s eagerness to open trade with Cuba has Cuban immigrants in a panic, as this could lead to a null in the long-time enforced “wet foot, dry foot” policy. A surplus of Cubans have been migrating since the announcement, fearing that open trade will result in a shutdown of the policy.

Cuban Officials strongly oppose the “wet foot, dry foot” policy because they believe that the law brainwashes natives into wanting to leave. Havana leaders blame the United States for its depletion of educated employees, since the country offers free education. Once a degree is obtained, Cubans are fleeing the country – thus depleting Cuba’s resources.

Statistics show that there has been a 65% increase of Cuban arrivals in the past three months since the announcement, and a 117% increase in Cubans traveling by seas from December 2013 to December 2014.