Obama Ends ‘Wet Foot, Dry Foot’ Cuban Policy

In one of his last acts in the White House, President Obama ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, which was established in 1995, that gave Cubans who landed on U.S. soil without visas permission to remain in the country and a pathway to legal residency, reports The New York Times.

Cuba has long wanted the U.S. government to end the policy. "Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities," said President Obama in a statement. "By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries."

The move was part of a new Department of Homeland Security regulation and an agreement that President Obama reached with the Cuban government. As part of the deal, Cuba agreed to accept its people when they return from the U.S.

Under the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, Cubans who were caught escaping to the U.S. by sea, they were required to return, but those who made it onto U.S. soil were allowed to apply for legal residency.

This was the U.S.'s way of weakening Fidel Castro's power, notes the Times. Castro, once the communist leader of Cuba, died last year, after passing the reins of government to his brother Raul a few years ago. Many LGBT Cubans say Fidel Castro left behind a legacy of oppression, and some consider his brother no better, although Raul's daughter Mariela is an activist for LGBT rights.

Peter Kornbluh, the coauthor of Back Channel to Cuba, told the Times the policy was a "relic of the Cold War." This move by the Obama administration is "its final effort to normalize an area of interaction between Cuba and the United States, migration, that is clearly in need of normalization," he said.

But in other circles it was seen as move to validate a dictatorship and its disdain for human rights.

"Today's announcement will only serve to tighten the noose the Castro regime continues to have around the neck of its own people," said Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey in a statement.