Fearing an end to the Cuban Adjustment Act, Cuban Nationals have streamed into the U.S. to claim special status.
In a new wave of migration, Cuban Nationals are flooding through Latin America to reach U.S. borders in order to apply for special immigration status in the U.S. This surge is believed to be a result of widespread fears that the U.S. will soon end the decades old immigration law giving special immigration benefits to Cubans who are able to make it to U.S. soil.
The increase in Cuban migration has doubled over the past year, resulting in thousands of Cuban’s crossing from Panama into Nicaragua and up through Mexico in an aim reach the U.S. border. To stem the tide, Nicaragua recently closed its border with Cosa Rica to Cuban Nationals, causing thousands to be stranded in Costa Rica.
The law regarding Cubans, called the Cuban Adjustment Act or CAA allows any Cuba National who makes it onto U.S. soil to immediately apply for a work permit, government aid and U.S. Residency after one year. Whether the U.S. will agree with Cuban officials to rescind the law any time soon is doubtful, since it is likely held by the U.S. as a valuable bargaining chip to use in negotiations with the Cuban government when the time is right. But for now, just the mere prospect of the law ending has caused many Cubans to use desperate means to leave Cuban and travel under very dangerous conditions to reach U.S. borders.
