Featured News 2016 Special Treatment for Cuban Immigrants May End

Special Treatment for Cuban Immigrants May End

President Barack Obama's recent trip to Cuba may be the catalyst for change, and we're not only talking about trade. Two days after the president's trip to the communist nation, a bipartisan pair of congressmen introduced a bill that would unravel the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act.

On Tuesday, March 22, President Obama told Cubans that he came to their country to "bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas."

As the law stands, as soon as Cuban immigrants step foot on U.S. soil, they are entitled to federal benefits, and a fast track to U.S. citizenship.

But congressmen Henry Cuellar and Blake Farenthold argue that this special treatment is based on an outdated policy, and that it's not fair to other immigrants.

CUBA Act Would End Special Treatment

If the Correcting Unfair Benefits for Aliens Act (CUBA Act) were to pass, Cuban immigrants would no longer receive special treatment. Instead, they would be treated the same as all other immigrants.

"The cold war ended a long time ago," said Bonnie Lucero, professor of Latin American history at UTRGV. "We have no justification."

According to an analysis, the cost of Cuban immigration comes at a price tag of $680 million each year.

After the president's visit to Cuba in March, Cubans and Americans are taking notice of the warmer relationship between the two nations.

In 2015, Texas experienced an influx of Cuban immigrants from the Mexican border. Cubans have been taking a new route that takes them through a 2000 mile journey through Mexico.

This route is much farther than rafting across the guarded 90 miles of ocean that separates Cuba from Florida, but thousands of Cuban immigrants consider the long journey safer.

If you need assistance with a Cuban immigration matter, scroll through our directory to find an immigration attorney near you.

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