Time to “Normalize” Cuban Immigration and Cut the Magnet



Dan FoxTook the short walk over to Fox News today to do an interview on U.S./Cuba immigration policy. It seems a bunch of Cuban illegal immigrants landed in Miami Beach today to the cheers and applause of beachgoers everywhere.

The question I had to field on camera was simple: “Does the Cuba ‘wet foot/dry foot’ policy encourage illegal migration from Cuba?”

As I prepare my answer, I’m thinking to myself how can this be? I thought President Obama had just normalized relations with Cuba, didn’t he? How can this Cold War relic of an immigration policy continue to assist a corrupt regime in Cuba to remain in power?

Congress needs to step in and repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. This makes the “wet foot/dry foot” policy possible – a policy that says if you’re interdicted at sea, you go home, but if you make it to U.S. shores, you get to stay.

This dual standard has been the product of nearly 60 years of absurdity. It represents an attempt to claim that we want those fleeing the Castros to come here for freedom, but just not too many wanting freedom.

Over time, the U.S. has either asked Cuba to restrain departure, and/or we have had dual entry standards like “wet foot/dry foot.” Since 1966, the backdrop has been the Cuban Adjustment Act that allows any Cuban who gets here to get a Green Card in one year.

Policies that encourage uncontrolled people flows usually undermine the receiving nation’s foreign policy goals by propping up the folks causing the problems in the first place. Cuba stands as a monument to this sort of failed approach.

It’s time to treat Cubans no differently than those coming from any other nation. Time to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act and stop the games.

About Author

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Dan is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)'s President after joining the organization in 1982. He has testified more than 50 times before Congress, and been cited in the media as "America's best-known immigration reformer." Dan has appeared on virtually every significant TV and radio news/talk program in America and, in addition to being a contributing editor to ImmigrationReform.com, has contributed commentaries to a vast number of print media outlets.

20 Comments

  1. avatar

    Definitely agree on this one Dan………it has been too long after President Kennedy was set up with this………most Cubans I have met in the past think they own the US………without any merit……how about finding out how many Cubans are in the Welfare System…..may be this way you can make a stronger point…..

  2. avatar

    I have been a Caseworker with Cuban refugees and found them very, very supportive of our nation in contrast to the illegal aliens from Mexico who have told me that Mexico tells them “they are coming here to take back ‘their” land and they are going to kill the Americans and anyone NOT of Mexican descent who refuse to leave when Mexico feels they have enough of their own here to “wage a war on the U.S.” (their words!).

    • avatar

      Laura you are ver naive………………THe Cubans coming here are no different from the Mexicans……you are delusional…..THE DIFFERENCE is that the Cubans do have a FREE HANDOUT…….the green card for free……..

      • avatar

        what also beats me is Senator from Florida that wants to get rig of the family based visas…….WHEN his grandfather was an illegal and he is here due to the same process he wants to shut down……if he were truthful…he and his family should pack up and go back to Cuba then……

  3. avatar

    I’ve been writing for years this is one of the dumbest laws Congress ever passed and should be repealed…….they Cubans are illegal aliens and should be treated as such.
    Most people don’t know they come………get refugee status and a year later with a green card in hand……go back to Cuba to **** out……

  4. avatar

    time to stop this stupid law its useless and not fair to other countres what goes for one goes for all.

  5. avatar

    On 03 Oct 2015, we observe the 50th anniversary of the Hart-Celler Act. On that date, Lyndon Johnson signed America’s death warrant at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. Twenty years later, President Reagan noted that the US had lost control of its borders, but that didn’t stop him from signing an amnesty for 3 million illegal aliens. Congress doubled mass immigration in 1990 and has attempted to pass another massive amnesty ever since (most recently in 2013).

    Clearly, the US government has no intention of addressing our nation’s immigration problems – ever.

    Unless the American public organizes itself to elect new political leadership, the historic American nation will essentially be gone by the middle of this century.

    • avatar

      Rossbach isn’t that the allure of Trump,Dr.Ben and ,Carly that outsiders will hear the citizens pleas.However you have those 40% socialists who flock to Bernie Sanders who promises more of Obama with ridiculous promises of “FREE EVERYTHING” ;How stupid are people who believe anything is free. “Remember who said “the sole purpose of socialism is communism”Josef Stalin.

  6. avatar

    If we are going to STOP illegal immigration, we MUST STOP ALL FREE HANDOUTS TO ALL ILLEGALS.. because our lawless government rewards these illegals for breaking our laws.. they will continue to illegally come to this country.. we should NEVER reward any illegals … it is insane!!

    • avatar

      There are bi free handouts to illegals…they work harder than you do……they earn it…..you don’t

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      BKaur….no illegal can claim legal Welfare or any other monies form the Federal Gov…….you believe the lies? do that math….320M the population….the illegals 20 and growing….so 6.6%…….AND within that 6.6% probably 1.6% are US citizens taking advantage of the System because they learned it from us…….USE YOU HEAD!!!!! it is all propaganda to lead us to believe they are destroying this country when it is the mismanagement by Congress and the States’ goes NOT even the President…….

      • avatar

        BKaur we would be better OFF to stop all free handouts to all americans taken adverting of our system,……

        ONLY THEN

        we would be better off as a Society and make them useful…..THEN AS A RESULT NO children of illegals would take advantage..

        Now that is an intellectual statement……..do not start from the tail……..you have to start from the head or the origin of the root cause of the problem..

  7. avatar

    The Cuban wet foot/dry foot is exactly the kind of policy that exists when you let your state or country be overrun. In the case of the Cubans they control vast areas of Florida. Rubio would fight any policy that normalizes the advantage of his people. With the invasion of the southern border it is important that at the least this “wet foot/dry foot” policy should be revised so that it doesn’t apply to Cubans coming across the Mexican border. Mr. Stein is doing a great public service by discussing this issue.

  8. avatar

    The Constitutional Lawbreakers Better Watch Out

    All it takes is strong enforcement plans to start another like 50s McCarthy Witch-hunt [only this time it won’t be Communism supporters, it will be Amnesty Supporters] on companies hiring IAs and encouraging identity theft. In this case the prisons would fill with CEOs and Presidents hiring IAs. Their companies will be auctioned off most likely.

    • avatar

      First things first

      ARE YOU REALLY AN ENGINNEER!?? if so can you use your brains, if so read below……

      .no illegal can claim legal Welfare or any other monies form the Federal Gov…….you believe the lies? do that math….320M the population….the illegals 20 and growing….so 6.6%…….AND within that 6.6% probably 1.6% are US citizens taking advantage of the System because they learned it from us…….USE YOU HEAD!!!!! it is all propaganda to lead us to believe they are destroying this country when it is the mismanagement by Congress and the States’ govs NOT even the President…….

  9. avatar

    This president is never going to do anything that slows down immigration to this country. It’s heresy to even talk about it. I guess everyone has seen the story of the Muslim kid who brought his “clock” to school and ended up getting arrested. Except it looked nothing like a clock, it looked exactly like a suitcase explosive, and he had no reason to bring it to school. His father is also a Muslim activist. Now he’s being invited to the White House. How many other kids have been suspended for bringing things that barely resembled guns to school? Including a 7 year old who chewed his pop tart into a gun shape. No White House visit for him.

    • avatar

      When I worked in New York my fundamentalist Egyptian manager told us he was taking his kids to watch the implosion of a building. This happened after the first world trade center attack and before 2001. The staff had joked around about his connections because he had attended the “blind sheiks” mosque. Later we found out that the FBI had paid him a visit.

      How do you know that the incident with the clock wasn’t a dry run? First you attempt to bring in suspicious but innocuous object and if that is successful you bring in the real deal. Instead of the kid visiting the president he should have been paid a visit by the FBI.

      • avatar

        Bill T.
        Those were my thoughts exactly. This punk is just another Trojan Horse, that was on a dry run. Is it a coincidence that it happens around the anniversary of 9/11? And is he being coached by the great Satan himself. Barry McMuslim?

      • avatar

        I still can’t believe the school and the police considered that a clock! Yes it didf have a clock without the explosives! They are next probally in the same case!