The end of the advantageous ‘wet foot, dry foot’ US policy on Cuban immigrants has left possibly hundreds of individuals stranded on the south side of the border, between the US and Mexico. The Cubans were heading to the US, where they expected to gain eventual citizenship thanks to the old immigration policy. But they have now been left in limbo and in a potentially dangerous situation.
In Nuevo Laredo, which is just to the south of the point of entry in Laredo in Mexico, a humanitarian effort is underway to assist the dozens of Cubans that have been left stranded after being refused entry to the US. Cubans who set foot on US soil have been allowed to become permanent residents under the policy, which was ended by President Barack Obama last week, after being in operation for more than two decades.
The change is part of the decision to normalize relations between the two nations, according to the Department of Homeland Security, but some people have concerns. UT-RGV political science professor, Dr. Arturo Lopez-Levy, who is himself a Cuban immigrant, fears that Cubans are now simply going to become undocumented immigrants.
Nuevo Laredo Cubans are now beginning to rally and are calling for help in gaining entry to the US. The number of Cuban immigrants to the US has been on the increase since the two countries began to re-establish relations, with over 56,000 entering the US in 2016 alone.