On Friday, ordinary Cubans were left fretting over the economic difficulties that could result from President Barack Obama’s decision to end the immigration advantage given to Cubans who came to the US. There are fears that many of those immigrants could wind up back in Cuba with nothing.
The policy of granting all Cubans who set foot on US soil automatic legal residency was ended by the President on Thursday. Cubans fret that those in the midst of trying to get to the US when the sudden policy change took place are likely to be the biggest losers. Opponents of the communist leaders on the island and ordinary Cubans alike expect growing pressure for reform on Cuba now that the most dissatisfied citizens, who took advantage of the former US policy and often gave financial help to their remaining relatives, no longer have that mechanism.
The repeal of the policy known as ‘wet foot, dry foot’ went into immediate effect after the announcement, on Thursday, following months of negotiation to get Cuba’s agreement to take back Cuban immigrants from the US.
Cubans have flocked to the US in record numbers since the announcement, on 17 December 2014, that diplomatic relations were being restored between the two nations, fearful that the special immigration status, which began the Cold War, would soon end.
Donald Trump could use the same rule as Obama to reinstate the policy when he becomes President, this week, although that would conflict with his immigration stance.