Panama City - Hundreds of Cubans who sold
their homes and belongings in pursuit of an American dream that
now lays in tatters were stranded in Central America and Mexico
on Friday after Washington abruptly ended a lenient immigration
policy.
US President Barack Obama on Thursday repealed a measure
granting automatic residency to virtually every Cuban who
arrived in the United States, whether or not they had visas,
ending a longstanding exception to US policy.
The end of the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, which allowed
any Cuban who reached US soil to stay, but returned any picked
up at sea, took effect immediately. Cuban officials had long
sought the change, arguing it would discourage
people-trafficking and dangerous journeys.
Jose Enrique Manreza, who sold his house and possessions in
Havana to embark on a epic trip by plane, bus and foot through
the rain forests of French Guiana, Colombia and Panama,
estimated he had spent about $10 000 on the journey.
"Imagine how I feel, after I spent six days and six nights
running through rivers and jungles in the humidity," said
Manreza, at a migrant shelter in the southern Mexican city of
Tapachula, where he heard the news, along with 30 other Cubans.
In Honduras, 75 Cubans were waiting to move on to Mexico and
the US border. In Panama, another 75 gathered in the
tree-shaded patio of the Caritas shelter in the capital. Many
had sold everything they owned to pay for the voyage of a
lifetime. Some said hundreds more were still traversing the
treacherous forests of the Darien region bordering Colombia.
Some expressed dismay that Obama, who is popular in Cuba for
punching holes in the U.S. economic embargo and reinstating
diplomatic relations, had taken a measure they saw as hurting
ordinary Cubans.
"Obama's decision is killing our dreams," said Yancys
Riccart, 25, a teaching assistant, who said her journey took her
through Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. She said she was
worried she would be mistreated or not given work by Cuban
authorities if she went back home.
Victor Berrios, a deacon for Roman Catholic charity Caritas,
urged the migrants not to rush into the hands of
people-traffickers to reach the United States, reminding them
that US President-elect Donald Trump could reinstate the law
when he assumes the presidency on Jan 20.
"Be patient, we know that from the 20th there will be
another government. Do not lose hope. Have faith," Berrios said.
Washington has unveiled a flurry of last minute agreements
to try to prevent Trump reversing the 2014 detente with Cuba,
one of Obama's flagship policies.
Trump has said he would scrap Obama's Cuba policy unless the
Cubans presented a better deal, but it was not immediately clear
if he would try to bring back "wet-foot, dry-foot."
"$10 left in my pocket"
Anticipating the end of the policy, Cuban immigration has
surged since the 2014 normalization. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy
national security adviser, said some 40,000 Cubans arrived in
the United States in 2015 and about 54,000 in 2016.
Thousands of Cubans gathered in Costa Rica and Panama last
year as Central American countries struggled to cope with the
influx. El Salvador welcomed the new policy, saying all
immigrants should be treated equally.
Honduras, a source of thousands of immigrants to the United
States each year, despite no Cuban-style special treatment, said
it was waiting to see if the policy led to fewer Cubans
traveling. Mexico's foreign ministry had no immediate comment.
Manreza said his wife, a nurse, was working in Venezuela as
part of a Cuban oil-for-doctors program. Obama also rolled back
a "medical parole" program dating back to 2006 that allowed
Cuban doctors working in third countries to move to the United
States simply by walking into a U.S. embassy.
"She cried when I called her," he said, without indicating
whether she had intended to defect under the program.
Manreza, who ran a soda warehouse in Havana before he left
in December with his daughter, said he was deciding whether to
return to Cuba, broke, or seek asylum in Mexico.
Ivan Diaz, 45, a health administrator, said he had no
intention of turning back.
He left Cuba three months ago with his wife. He said the
dash for the United States had cost about $25,000 for him, his
wife and Miami family members who sent money to support them.
"I've got $10 left in my pocket," said Diaz at the Tapachula
center. "We are going to carry on. We don't lose anything by
going to the Laredo border. We must be able to do something.
Otherwise, let them deport me back to Cuba."