Thursday, January 15, 2015

Nearly 500 Cubans Flee by Boat to US After Obama's Rapprochement

Nearly 500 Cubans Flee by Boat to US After Obama's Rapprochement
Wednesday, 14 Jan 2015 06:43 AM
By Elliot Jager

Rumors spreading in Cuba that preferential immigration policies will
shortly be ended now that Havana and Washington have established
diplomatic relations has led to a surge in the number of Cubans trying
to reach the U.S. by sea, the International Business Times reported.

Authorities have said that the diplomatic rapprochement has no impact on
immigration policy, which would have to come from Congress.

Cuban immigrants who step foot in the U.S. may apply for citizenship
after one year. The preferential arrangement is unique to exiles from
the communist-controlled island that, under the Castro regime, has had a
long history of human rights abuses. There are thousands of political
prisoners in Cuba.
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The Coast Guard announced that 481 Cubans made the perilous sea journey
to Florida in December — a 117 percent increase from the same month the
previous year, the IBTimes reported.

Most set off after President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment
of relations with Cuba on Dec.17 — in fact, 340 of the month's total
made the attempt in December's final two weeks, The Washington Times
reported.

And, according to the Coast Guard, another 144 exiles reached U.S.
shores in the first seven days of January.

Some of the rumors circulating in Cuba say U.S. policy is set to change
this month, the Washington Times reported.

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, said he saw no
indication that the White House had given the Coast Guard advance notice
of its policy change to help it prepare for the increased traffic, the
Times reported.

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The Coast Guard has intensified its coverage of the sea lanes between
Cuba and the U.S. to keep up with the flow.

"This is a dangerous and deadly journey," a Coast Guard spokesman said.
"In many cases, it's more than an interdiction; it's a rescue. These
boats are taking on water," the Washington newspaper reported.

There has also been an increase in the number of Cubans making their way
to the U.S. via the Mexican border, according to the Times.

Before Obama announced the change in diplomatic relations, Florida Sen.
Marco Rubio said in June that Congress ought to reconsider favored
treatment for Cuban immigrants down the line.

"I don't criticize anyone who wants to go visit their mom or dad or
their dying brother or sister in Cuba," he said. "But I am telling you
it gets very difficult to justify someone's status as an exile and
refugee when, a year and a half after they get here, they are flying
back to that country over and over again," according to the Tampa Bay Times.
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Out.
Neither the administration nor Congress have proposed altering current
immigration policy toward Cuba, the Times reported.

Source: Nearly 500 Cubans Flee by Boat to US After Obama's Rapprochement
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http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/cuba-castro-opening-florida/2015/01/14/id/618450/

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