Obama shuts down "wet foot, dry foot" policy that aided Cuban refugees escaping to America

Jay Caruso reports at Red State,

As has been pointed out, Barack Obama, with one week to go in his administration decided to shut down the “wet foot, dry foot” policy for Cuban refugees. Under the policy, that has been in place for two decades, Cubans intercepted at sea are repatriated, but if they make it to land (which is almost always Florida), they are allowed to stay and get legal status.

Some are arguing it is a good move because it gives Cubans preferential treatment over other countries. That may be the case, but Obama pulling the rug out from people with one week to go in his administration is a bad move on his part, and it plays into the notion he’s playing politics with the incoming administration.

The move is not being well-received, even from some Democrats:

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Cuban-American, put out a blistering statement denouncing the move as one that “will only serve to tighten the noose the Castro regime continues to have around the neck of its own people.”

He faulted the Obama administration for not consulting Congress prior to the announcement, adding, “The Obama administration seeks to pursue engagement with the Castro regime at the cost of ignoring the present state of torture and oppression, and its systematic curtailment of freedom.”

...Of course, President Obama is happy to employ the policy of sending Cubans back to the dictatorship-led country they risked their lives to escape but provides funds for sanctuary cities who refuse to help federal authorities deport illegal immigrants, including those with a criminal background.

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