The cancellation last January of the US policy of “wet feet / dry feet” stopped the crossing of rafts in the Florida Strait, according to the Seventh US Coast Guard District.
Data from interceptions published today by Noticias Martí show a dramatic decrease, from 2,295 intercepted in the first six months of 2016 to only 322 Cuban immigrants during the first half of this year.
The cut was evident since Jan. 12 when former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) called off the policy of “wet feet / dry feet” enacted in 1995.
Earlier, Cubans who touched US territory were favored with the Cuban Adjustment Act and its policy of “dry feet / wet feet,” while the others were deported to the island.
Now, that difference does not matter, and all Cuban immigrants must arrive in the country with legal documents, whether by sea, air or land, and if they wish they should seek political asylum under a “credible fear of returning to Cuba” argument and Wait months in the US Without the certainty that the application will be approved.
Last fiscal year, between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016, a total of 7,411 Cubans were intercepted at sea by the Coast Guard.
