THIS PAST Sunday Raúl Castro was named president of Cuba, making him the official successor of his brother, Fidel Castro, who stepped down on the 19th. I, personally, was shocked. Raúl Castro! Who could have ever seen this coming? Moreover, who knows what new and exciting changes await Cuba now that there has been such a drastic change in leadership?
Obviously, nothing big is going to change internally for Cuba now one Castro has stepped down and a new Castro has stepped in to take his place. Since nothing internal will change, though, perhaps it's time for the United States to look at changing a few things externally. Specifically, the United States seriously needs to re-inspect its immigration policies. The current policy with regards to Cuban immigrants is commonly referred to as the "wet feet, dry feet" policy and was developed during the Clinton administration. Under this policy the Coast Guard agreed to stop picking up persons in international waters and taking them to the United States and now repatriates them, or, if they have proven that there exists a threat of persecution if they are returned to Cuba, takes them to a third country or allows them to reside in America. However, Cuban immigrants who reach dry land are not repatriated, and, after having been in the United States for one year, are in fact offered an expedited visa process.
This is the most illogical immigration policy I have ever heard of. The United States offers asylum to those persons it deems to be refugees from torture or political threat. Either those persons emigrating from Cuba are automatic political refugees, or they are not. If they are, then all persons found in the water should also be considered political refugees and should be given the same treatment as those on land. If, on the other hand, the United States does not view all of those emigrating from Cuba as automatic political refugees, then Cubans who in fact enter the United States should be given the same treatment as any other group of immigrants and should not be eligible for an expedited visa.
As it stands now, not only is the immigration policy illogical, it's dangerous. An escapee's trip from Cuba to Florida is not exactly an easy one. According to the Coast Guard, it is unclear how many people die each year making the trip from Cuba to the United States because bodies cannot always be positively identified as émigrés from Cuba. However, the Coast Guard Web site also states that "because most migrants are inexperienced at dealing with the challenges of going to sea, or are at the hands of uncaring smugglers, we suspect quite a few die."
The crossing is not only dangerous for émigrés. The Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, all of whom patrol the Florida border, face dangers due to a steadily increasing presence of professional smugglers. Smugglers often have larger boats or more electronics to aid them in smuggling immigrants across the pass, making for a safer passage. However, to avoid being arrested by authorities, many will also tell immigrants that if they are detained by the Coast Guard they will automatically be deported to Cuba, and thus will encourage them to struggle with authorities attempting to pick them up.
In order to lessen the dangers for both potential immigrants and authorities, the United States should decide on a consistent immigration policy. An immigrant's legal eligibility for citizenship cannot magically change simply because he or she has hit sand. America should either remove the "dry foot" portion of the policy, therefore deterring more Cubans from making the dangerous voyage, or they should declare any Cubans found in the water political refugees, thereby saving lives lost in repeat voyages or trying to dodge the Coast Guard.
To this end, America should open up talks with Cuba. Although it has been stated repeatedlythe United States will not engage indiplomatic relations with Cuba until after the Castro administration(s) are gone, the resignation of Fidel proves that neither brother is immortal and that big changes are on the horizon for Cuba. The United States needs to think about what position it wants to be in when that changeover happens, because if America's only legacy is 50 years of hostility, it may be difficult to make amends.
Margaret Sessa-Hawkins's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at msessahawkins@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 18 hours agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | 5 days agoEvery student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
SULLIVAN: On making Housing a home — for student self-governance
By Scarlett Sullivan | January 6, 2025The most obvious and necessary remedy for HRL going forward is coincidentally one of the greatest tools on any Resident Staff across Grounds — communication.
