A group of nine Latin American foreign ministers – Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru — have written to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the U.S. to end its “wet foot, dry foot” policy for Cuban immigrants. I urge you to listen to their arguments and support passage of H.R. 3818, the Ending Special National Origin-Based Immigration Programs for Cubans Act, to end the special status Cuban immigrants have.
In addition to harming Latin American countries, the United States’ “wet foot, dry foot” policy is simply no longer needed. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has carried out extensive reporting on this issue and their findings are disturbing. According to the paper, many Cuban immigrants are taking advantage of America’s special immigration laws for Cubans to come to the United States to receive welfare checks. This money is then used to take long vacations back in Cuba or to return to Cuba permanently. This attitude toward their native country is not indicative of a repressive regime, but of a poor country.
This abuse of our welfare and immigration laws, and the burden placed on Latin American nations, cannot continue. H.R. 3318, the Ending Special National Origin-Based Immigration Programs for Cubans Act, would repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and end the “wet foot/dry foot” policy for Cuban immigrants. I hope you will push for a vote on this bill.
Phone me if you would like to talk about this,
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
