For years Cubans have been risking their lives to migrate to the United States in order to escape the (formerly Fidel and now brother Raul) Castro regime. The voyage has not been easy as the Cubans attempt to reach Miami by way of rundown boats and rafts. The US Coast Guard has been actively working to intercept these migrants and send them back to Cuba and was recorded to intercept 2,861 out of 7,686 Cubans crossing the Florida Straits in 2005.
The Cuban migrants have now strategized a new and potentially more successful way of reaching the US. Their route has been redirected westward as they find their chances of getting intercepted significantly decreased by traveling to Mexico and then crossing the US-Mexican border. While this new route may add time to their trip, to these Cubans the time would be worth the successful escape from the Castro regime.
This new route draws many issues into question. There is controversy over the United States accepting Cubans over the US-Mexican border willingly and allowing them to request political asylum/gain US citizenship while there is clearly an issue with Mexican illegal immigrants who are not given similar rights. Due to the Clinton administration's "wet foot/dry foot" policy, if a Cuban migrating to the US is caught at sea he is to be sent back to Cuba or a third country (as the Coast guard has done) but if he makes it to the US shore he is given the chance to remain. Should Cubans be given this chance while crossing the US-Mexican border or should they be restricted to the same conditions Mexicans seeking similar entry are restricted to? Is the wet foot/dry foot policy ethical or should the US stand by one policy instead of US border officials accepting Cubans while US Coast Guard officials return them to Cuba? Are Mexicans and Cubans in Mexico helping or hurting the Cubans' chances of safely reaching the US? Has this effected US/Mexican and US/Cuban relations for the better or worse?
Monday, October 15, 2007
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3 comments:
This is an interesting situation. The wet foot dry/ dry foot policy wasn't exactly fair. Then again what is fair? The government doesnt want the accept all the cubans that attempt to make their way over. That was the point of this policy. Otherwise how is the US supposed to decide who stays and who goes? Well the government is going to have to make a decision because now that cubans can more easily make it US soil, it is going to be harder to keep cubans out of the country.
The wet foot dry/ dry foot policy is really a tragedy to mankind. I think the United States has to start protecting it's Mexican-American border so no Cubans can enter our country illegally. The United States can not allow Cubans who succesfully make it to land achieve asylum. These Cubans are illegal and should be deported as soon as reaching land. America has to work out an agreement with Mexico, so Cubans can not easily enter into our country. If Mexico is unwilling to create such an agreement, the United States must proceed to other measures. Maybe a wall seperating Mexico and America?
The way in which the Cuban government is run may deny the rights of its citizens. In an attempt to recognize this the United States has implemented its "wet foot/dry foot" policy. I believe that this is one positive aspect of this governemt as it tries to enable citizins of Cuba to obtain theri human rights by providing them with an adequate standatd of living.
We also have to consider how difficult it is to formulate government policies and how each new policy may have consequences that we may not conceptualize but that policy makers do.
Lastly, we need to consider that America is one of the few countries that is able to maintain citizens and residents in an atmosphere thatprovides rights nd in which they have anadequate standard of living. Therefore, persons will always try to immigrate to this country, whether they are alowed or not so as to relieve themselves of the social, political and economic situaitions which they face in their home countries.
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