Cubans worry about future after repeal of 'wet foot, dry foot' policy

Cubans wait daily outside US Embassy in hopes of getting visa

HAVANA – The repeal of the "wet foot, dry foot" policy is a huge deal in Cuba, where it made the front page Friday of the state-run newspaper, El Granma.

Cubans on the island are still trying to figure out what this means for them because they realize the Cuban Adjustment Act is still in in place.

Walking around Old Havana, most Cubans know what's happening in Washington.

Musician Ramon Araujo said, "It's too risky. Too many drown."

A street vendor told Local 10 News that he doesn't know what to think.

"You just have to focus on making a living," he said in Spanish.

The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donahue, was in Havana Friday to meet with Cuban officials.


"I believe it puts you in the position to continue to move forward and, at the same time, give the new administration a way to see that they're achieving some of their objectives," Donohue said about the change of policy.   

At the U.S. Embassy in Havana Friday, Cubans wait outside on a daily basis, sometimes for hours, hoping to get a visa.

"Too many people take to the seas, and we're here doing it the right way only to be denied," health inspector Hilda Leston said. 

Yunielys Amador,10, said the process to come to the U.S. is "too difficult," and that her family has tried many times.

They finally received a visa on Friday.

Some of the Cubans said they want greater access to the U.S. They want changes when it comes to more visas for Cubans.

Cuban government officials said they're also going after the Cuban Adjustment Act, which can only be changed through Congress.


About the Author:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.