Bahamas News
01-17-05, - 12:25 PM
Cuban Diplomat Says U.S. Immigration Policy Hurting Bahamas
By Royanne Forbes
The Bahama Journal
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/data/images/news/categories/FELIX-WILSON--CUBAN-COUNSE.jpg
Cuban Consul General to The Bahamas Felix Wilson
(Photo by Omar Barr)
The Bahamas has been adversely impacted by a U.S. policy that allows Cubans who reach American soil to remain in the country and those apprehended on the water to be repatriated, Cuban Consul General to The Bahamas Felix Wilson said in a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
Mr. Wilson believes that the so-called “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy provides an incentive for Cubans seeking to flee their homeland to try to reach America.
“There are some of these migrants who when they leave Cuba illegally decide to go by raft to the U.S. In many cases they end up in The Bahamas and The Bahamas is now suffering the consequence of the policy by the U.S.,” he said.
The government of the United States has been roundly criticized by various groups for the controversial policy, which Mr. Wilson insisted is a bad one.
Among the critics is FAIR, the Federation For American Immigration Reform.
It’s executive director, Dan Stein, has gone on record saying, “It is imperative that the [Bush] Administration act immediately and abolish the arbitrary and capricious 'wet-foot, dry-foot’ policy adopted by the Clinton Administration that allows Cubans who step onto the U.S. shore to stay permanently. It is time to end the discriminatory policy that favors Cubans. Unless they qualify for asylum, they should be sent back to Cuba.”
Other critics have called the policy discriminatory, saying that it should be applied to all illegal immigrants, not just Cubans.
United States Charge D’ Affaires Robert Witajewski told the Bahama Journal that it would be wrong to blame America for the exodus of thousands of Cubans to the United States.
“Cuba is a problem for the region, for the entire Caribbean region,” Mr. Witajewski said. “The fact that it is an authoritarian dictatorship, the fact that it is a failed economic system means that Cubans try to leave their country reluctantly because they are being pushed out by failed economic policies and a total lack of political freedom in the country.”
But Mr. Wilson said most Cubans leave their country for economic reasons and he claimed that some Cuban-Americans are helping to fuel illegal immigration.
“What happens is this: in the U.S you have some people who pay for their relatives to be taken out of the country and brought to the U.S. I think they pay some people to go on these fast boats and pick up people on certain locations in Cuba.We have apprehended some of these people; they are in prison and they have been sentenced,” Mr. Wilson said.
“The Cuban government has expressed interest to sit down and talk about this matter within the framework of the immigration treaty between Cuba and the U.S.”
However, Mr. Witajewski said it is clever to blame the United States for the actions of the Cuban government which directly force Cubans to flee their country.
“To blame the embargo for the failed economic policies of Cuba is kind of like focusing on symptoms and not the disease,” Mr. Witajewski said.
“The United States has a bilateral economic related embargo with Cuba. But the United States is also the most generous county when it comes to providing assistance. The Cuban-American community in the United States provides huge amounts of assistance to their family members and relatives in Cuba. There’s no embargo on medicines and other humanitarian goods.”
He added that the U.S. government continues to promote democracy for Cuba.
“I think we, like The Bahamas, hope that there is a change in the government in Cuba as soon as possible because Cuba is not a problem for the United States, Cuba is not a problem for The Bahamas, but it is a problem for the entire Caribbean region,” Mr. Witajewski reiterated.
By Royanne Forbes
The Bahama Journal
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/data/images/news/categories/FELIX-WILSON--CUBAN-COUNSE.jpg
Cuban Consul General to The Bahamas Felix Wilson
(Photo by Omar Barr)
The Bahamas has been adversely impacted by a U.S. policy that allows Cubans who reach American soil to remain in the country and those apprehended on the water to be repatriated, Cuban Consul General to The Bahamas Felix Wilson said in a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
Mr. Wilson believes that the so-called “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy provides an incentive for Cubans seeking to flee their homeland to try to reach America.
“There are some of these migrants who when they leave Cuba illegally decide to go by raft to the U.S. In many cases they end up in The Bahamas and The Bahamas is now suffering the consequence of the policy by the U.S.,” he said.
The government of the United States has been roundly criticized by various groups for the controversial policy, which Mr. Wilson insisted is a bad one.
Among the critics is FAIR, the Federation For American Immigration Reform.
It’s executive director, Dan Stein, has gone on record saying, “It is imperative that the [Bush] Administration act immediately and abolish the arbitrary and capricious 'wet-foot, dry-foot’ policy adopted by the Clinton Administration that allows Cubans who step onto the U.S. shore to stay permanently. It is time to end the discriminatory policy that favors Cubans. Unless they qualify for asylum, they should be sent back to Cuba.”
Other critics have called the policy discriminatory, saying that it should be applied to all illegal immigrants, not just Cubans.
United States Charge D’ Affaires Robert Witajewski told the Bahama Journal that it would be wrong to blame America for the exodus of thousands of Cubans to the United States.
“Cuba is a problem for the region, for the entire Caribbean region,” Mr. Witajewski said. “The fact that it is an authoritarian dictatorship, the fact that it is a failed economic system means that Cubans try to leave their country reluctantly because they are being pushed out by failed economic policies and a total lack of political freedom in the country.”
But Mr. Wilson said most Cubans leave their country for economic reasons and he claimed that some Cuban-Americans are helping to fuel illegal immigration.
“What happens is this: in the U.S you have some people who pay for their relatives to be taken out of the country and brought to the U.S. I think they pay some people to go on these fast boats and pick up people on certain locations in Cuba.We have apprehended some of these people; they are in prison and they have been sentenced,” Mr. Wilson said.
“The Cuban government has expressed interest to sit down and talk about this matter within the framework of the immigration treaty between Cuba and the U.S.”
However, Mr. Witajewski said it is clever to blame the United States for the actions of the Cuban government which directly force Cubans to flee their country.
“To blame the embargo for the failed economic policies of Cuba is kind of like focusing on symptoms and not the disease,” Mr. Witajewski said.
“The United States has a bilateral economic related embargo with Cuba. But the United States is also the most generous county when it comes to providing assistance. The Cuban-American community in the United States provides huge amounts of assistance to their family members and relatives in Cuba. There’s no embargo on medicines and other humanitarian goods.”
He added that the U.S. government continues to promote democracy for Cuba.
“I think we, like The Bahamas, hope that there is a change in the government in Cuba as soon as possible because Cuba is not a problem for the United States, Cuba is not a problem for The Bahamas, but it is a problem for the entire Caribbean region,” Mr. Witajewski reiterated.