Miami, January 16, 2017 — The International Rescue Committee is concerned about the humanitarian consequences of the Obama Administration's withdrawal of the Wet Foot – Dry Foot policy.
Cubans have long migrated to the United States, seeking protection, family reunification and better opportunities for themselves and their children, and this policy has long provided those arriving on U.S. soil with the ability to apply for legal residency.
Differential treatment of Cubans versus other populations, as well as differential treatment of Cubans intercepted at sea versus those touching U.S. soil, has long presented concerns of equity and fairness. But the access to protection and family unity that Wet Foot – Dry Foot has afforded has been a critical safeguard, guaranteeing protection and mitigating the devastating humanitarian impact of family separation that so many Cuban and Cuban-American families have faced.
As the U.S. moves forward without Wet Foot – Dry Foot, it is imperative that asylum safeguards at the U.S. southern border, as well as those currently applied in interception and return practices at sea, be significantly strengthened.
Rather than reducing protections, the IRC believes the solution is to increase protection standards for all. All persons in need of protection — including Cubans —should be treated in full accordance with international legal obligations and in line with America’s history as a nation of immigrants.