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Editorial: A fitting end to wet-foot, dry-foot policy for Cubans

 
President Barack Obama struck a blow for fairness and this nation’s immigration system by ordering a surprise end to America’s “wet foot/dry foot” policy with Cuba.
President Barack Obama struck a blow for fairness and this nation’s immigration system by ordering a surprise end to America’s “wet foot/dry foot” policy with Cuba.
Published Jan. 13, 2017

President Barack Obama struck a blow for fairness and this nation's immigration system by ordering a surprise end to America's "wet foot/dry foot" policy with Cuba. The policy may have served a limited purpose decades ago, but it atrophied over time into an exercise in political pandering that encouraged Cubans to make the dangerous crossing to enter the United States illegally, taxing the Coast Guard and Florida authorities, souring relations with neighbors and blowing a hole in America's immigration policy. President-elect Donald Trump should seize upon a change that advances his promise of a stronger border.

The policy's name reflected the arbitrary nature of its treatment of Cuban refugees. Those caught at sea — "wet foot" — were returned to Cuba, while those fortunate enough to reach U.S. land — "dry foot" — were allowed to remain. Over the years, images of celebrating Cubans rushing the shores of the Florida Keys and Miami became a mainstay in newspapers and on TV. But countless Cubans who lost their lives on makeshift rafts and boats in the Florida Straits never made the public eye. What started as a humanitarian cause became a humanitarian crisis. It was an outdated approach that was not in step with normalizing relations with Cuba.

As a practical matter, "wet foot/dry foot," put in place by President Bill Clinton in 1995, has outlived its usefulness. Though it enabled many Cubans over the years to escape political repression under Fidel Castro's communist regime, more recent emigres are using it to pursue a better economic life in America. And thousands took advantage of the policy as U.S.-Cuba relations have improved in recent years. The number of Cubans intercepted or arriving by sea has almost doubled since the two nations broke almost a half-century of political isolation by restoring diplomatic ties. Last year, 7,411 Cubans either landed or were caught trying to arrive, up from 4,000 in 2014, according to the Coast Guard. The number arriving by land at the southwest border increased fivefold since 2009. This amounts to a self-created immigration crisis that rewarded Cubans over other refugees who enjoyed no similar benefit for illegally entering the United States.

For Cuba, the move means more citizens will remain to press for reforms at home. That will add pressure on President Raul Castro to build on the small steps the government has taken to liberalize the economy and to open Cuban society to greater exposure to the West. The move doesn't affect Cubans already here, the 20,000 Cubans the United States has agreed to accept annually through legal migration or the ability of individual Cubans to apply for political asylum.

Aside from Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who predictably criticized the change with statements sounding ridiculously out of date and out of step, most Florida leaders and activists — both those who support and oppose broader contacts with Havana — praised the move. They correctly see it as a means for leveling the playing field for refugees, better protecting the border and breathing new life into Cuba's reform movement. This is all in keeping with Obama's progress in putting U.S.-Cuba relations on a more productive path.

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Trump did not immediately react to the rule change, but as a candidate he questioned the fairness of allowing Cuban refugees who managed to set foot on U.S. soil to gain automatic legal status. "I don't that's fair," he said. "We have a system now for bringing people into the country." That simple assessment sums it up. Florida has a particular stake in improved relations with Cuba, given not only the handling of refugees but the historic ties between Tampa and other cities and the island 90 miles from the coast. This was an overdue policy change that should continue the path toward normal relations and toward a better life in Cuba.