2 Tragic Stories About Cuban Adjustment Act

Last week indebted Cuban-Americans tried to make some quick money by smuggling Cubans out of that country, to Mexico, from where they would head to the US. Unfortunately, the speedboat drivers ignored orders to stop and instead rammed the Cuban border patrol vessal, nearly toppling it. Cuban border patrol agents opened fire and one of the smugglers was killed.

Yesterday we hear of a story that shows clearly the inhumanity of our immigration laws, particularly how they discriminate against everybody but Cubans, who are granted US citizenship within a year automatically. 43 Haitians, 1 Cuban and 1 Jamaican were found and detained when a boat crashed into an upscale Florida beach town. Most of the immigrants were being processed for return to their countries, but the Cuban probably will be allowed to stay in the United States. Under the Cuban Adjustment Act, Cubans who make it to U.S. soil typically qualify for permanent residency a year later.

These stories happen every day. More Haitians are caught at sea than Cubans lately and they are unceremonously shipped back to their desperate, lawless country where there are no jobs and political murders every day. "I'd rather spend 50 years in prison than be sent back to Haiti," said one detainee, Donald Joseph, 32. "Haiti has nothing." Another 15 year old who's father was recently killed and felt his own life was in danger for his family's former military connections will also likely be sent back.

But the Cuban will be allowed to stay. He will be given food, housing and job-training assistance - probably even help to learn English - on the US taxpayer dime. We fear the treatment returned migrants will be given in Cuba, but there is no evidence for any such discrimination.