Rumors spreading in Cuba that preferential immigration policies will shortly be ended now that Havana and Washington have established diplomatic relations has led to a surge in the number of Cubans trying to reach the U.S. by sea, the
International Business Times reported.
Authorities have said that the diplomatic rapprochement has no impact on immigration policy, which would have to come from Congress.
Cuban immigrants who step foot in the U.S. may apply for citizenship after one year. The preferential arrangement is unique to exiles from the communist-controlled island that, under the Castro regime, has had a long history of human rights abuses. There are thousands of political prisoners in Cuba.
The Coast Guard announced that 481 Cubans made the perilous sea journey to Florida in December — a 117 percent increase from the same month the previous year, the IBTimes reported.
Most set off after President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of relations with Cuba on Dec.17 — in fact, 340 of the month's total made the attempt in December's final two weeks,
The Washington Times reported.
And, according to the Coast Guard, another 144 exiles reached U.S. shores in the first seven days of January.
Some of the rumors circulating in Cuba say U.S. policy is set to change this month, the Washington Times reported.
Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, said he saw no indication that the White House had given the Coast Guard advance notice of its policy change to help it prepare for the increased traffic, the Times reported.
The Coast Guard has intensified its coverage of the sea lanes between Cuba and the U.S. to keep up with the flow.
"This is a dangerous and deadly journey," a Coast Guard spokesman said. "In many cases, it's more than an interdiction; it's a rescue. These boats are taking on water," the Washington newspaper reported.
There has also been an increase in the number of Cubans making their way to the U.S. via the Mexican border, according to the Times.
Before Obama announced the change in diplomatic relations, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said in June that Congress ought to reconsider favored treatment for Cuban immigrants down the line.
"I don't criticize anyone who wants to go visit their mom or dad or their dying brother or sister in Cuba," he said. "But I am telling you it gets very difficult to justify someone's status as an exile and refugee when, a year and a half after they get here, they are flying back to that country over and over again," according to the
Tampa Bay Times.
Neither the administration nor Congress have proposed altering current immigration policy toward Cuba, the Times reported.
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