Illegal immigration a felony? Include Cubans!

[benburch]

Why are Cubans welcomed to America, but we want to jail Mexicans who come here under similar circumstances?

Because Cubans all vote GOP? Is that why?

If we are going to have a fence and jail Mexicans, we need to mine the approaches to the USA from Cuba and jail Cubans too. Or at least, that is how I would ammend this awful bill to poison chances that it will pass.

[maveric]

1. Is this a rhetorical question?

Just wondering.

[IsItJustMe]

2. It won't pass, but the Dems are going to shoot themselves in the head by

being for open borders (ie Hillary and Reid) Wait and see.

[mdmc]

13. I am down with open borders

Which means that the DLC will end up jailing folks that want to come to America.

[Terran1212]

16. They are no where near open borders

I believe we should be humane and just to the poor human beings who come here

We can toughen border security so very few people get through; that way we can afford to give proper citizenship and rights to the few taht get through.

[ThomWV]

3. I Agree That Equal Treatment Should Be The Norm

I have always thought that our treatment of both Cuban refugees and foreign aid to Israel were both way out of wack and equally unexplainable.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Old Cold War BS...

Cuban "refugees" have a free pass to enter, unlike anyone else who has to go through endless asylum hearings.

Ain't just Republicans-- it's the Cuban lobby taking advantage of the anti-Castro hysteria.

Makes you wonder if they're going to slide in a waiver for Venezuelans...

[bbinacan]

5. Am I right about Cuban immigration

policy. If caught at sea, the US sends them back to Cuba. If they make it to land, they can stay.:shrug:

[catmother]

6. i think that's the case. there was an episode of CSI Miami

about that.

[bbinacan]

10. A coworker of mine was on a cruise

a couple of months ago and they rescued some Cubans on a makeshift boat. He said the Coast Guard met the ship and took the Cubans. I asked where they were to go, and he said he heard back to Cuba.

[catmother]

12. so i guess it is true. they have to make it to land. seems like

a strange law doesn't it? especially knowing that if they're sent back to cuba they can be killed, if that's true or anti-castro propaganda. i'm beginning to question everything this country says. :dilemma:

[bbinacan]

14. See the reply

to me by "loindelrio". And yes it is a bizarre policy.

[Crunchy Frog]

19. I'm not aware of any instances

where people have been killed by the Cuban government after having attempted to leave. The worst that I've heard of is brief periods of jail time.

Given the hysteria of the Cuban American community and their allies among elected officials, I'm conviced that if it had happened, it would have gotten enormous amounts of coverage.

I'm not an expert in these matters, but I picked up on a few things while observing the Elian hysteria a few years ago.

[catmother]

20. yes. i also picked up a few things during the elian hysteria. i

don't think that cuba is the horrible place they want us to think it is. seems like they have a good education system and good health care.

i also want to know why i need permission to go to cuba. if we're so free why can't i go there and visit without permission of the government. it looks like a nice, friendly place.:dilemma:

[Strelnikov_]

8. The 'Wet Foot/Dry Foot' Policy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_feet/dry_feet

The wet feet, dry feet policy (sometimes called the wet-foot, dry-foot Policy) is the name given to a consequence a 1995 revision of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that says, essentially, that anyone who fled Cuba and got into the United States would be allowed to pursue residency a year later. After talks with the Cuban government, the Clinton administration came to an agreement with Cuba that it would stop admitting people found at sea. Since then, in what has become known as the "wet feet, dry feet" policy, a Cuban caught on the waters between the two nations, "wet feet", would summarily be sent home or to a third country. One who makes it to shore, "dry feet", gets a chance to remain in the United States, and later would qualify for U.S. citizenship.

[bbinacan]

11. Thanks for the info. Somehow

this just seems to be the wrong policy we should have.

[Justpat]

25. Yes. If they make it to land, they are OK

but if they are intercepted in the water, they go back.

My step mother lives in the Keys. She says this is the way it is.

[catmother]

7. did they always vote that way or was it just after the Elian

Gonzalez debacle?

[RagingInMiami]

15. They've been voting republican ever since JFK "betrayed" them

at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. The CIA had trained a bunch of Cuban exiles in order to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro, who had recently announced his alliance with the Soviets.

The plan was to make it look as if the Cubans had done this all by themselves with no support from the US. But Soviet Premeir Khrushchev learned of the US involvement and called JFK in DC, threatening to nuke the US if the Americans got involved.

So at the last minute, JFK ordered American pilots to retreat. The initial plan was that the pilots would provide air cover for the invading Cubans. But without the expected air support, not to mention the fact that the Castro Cubans were fully aware of the invasion, the Miami Cubans ended up walking into a trap.

So even though it was JFK who allowed the Cubans to come to Miami in the first place, and it was LBJ who allowed them to continue coming to Miami during the late 60s, and it was Carter who allowed another huge wave of Cubans to come to Miami in 1979, the Miami Cubans still resent democrats because of the Bay of Pigs.

[catmother]

21. well thank you for that information. i vaguely remember the Bay

of Pigs. didn't JFK take responsibility and apologize to the american public admitting that he "screwed up"?

[RagingInMiami]

22. He even flew down to Miami and spoke to Cubans at the Orange Bowl

But the Cubans, who believed their own country had been swiped from them, never forgave him.

[Redstone]

9. Well, now, helluva questions. Wouldn't have anything to do with the

fact that the Cuban folks in Florida tend to be Republican and anti-Castro, would it?

Redstone

[blondeatlast]

17. Don't forget Canada--the first WTC bombers entered through

a weak Canadian border...

[nonconformist]

18. I agree with you.

Plus, I think that the policy towards Cubans encourages them to risk their life, because they know if they make it to land they can stay.

[davis_islander]

23. Why allow Cubans?

I think it has to do with the fact the Cuba is a communist military dictatorship, and Mexico is a free democracy.

[FlaGranny]

27. And? Are we allowing

immigrants from other communist countries or dictatorships to stay if they come here illegally? How about Haitians? Conditions are much worse in Haiti than in Cuba. Many countries with worse conditions than Cuba in this world, but the Cubans are the only onles allowed to stay.

[KharmaTrain]

24. Why So Little Discussion On DU About The Hispanic Protests

I've been looking for threads on the topic. Today it's expected several hundred thousand Mexicans will take to the streets and little is being said here about what's going on and how this is an issue that could help turn several Red states in our favor this fall...reaching out to a Hispanic vote that isn't really being reached by either party. Democrats need to wake up and not take a Hispanic or Black vote for granted...they deserve a place at the table and to be heard.

Regarding Cubans...I grew up in an area with several ex-patriot families in the 60's. Most were initially Kennedy and Johnson Democrats but swung to the GOOP during the Raygun years thanks to the useless but still symbolic embargo. They also created a political power base in Florida that fell right into the Repugnican's Southern Strategy as the local Repugnicans have long played the race card and curried favor with the rich Cuban families that run Little Havana.

Don't mistake the Cubans in Miami with the ones in Havana...almost 50 years removed. Also, many confused Cubans with Dominicans or even Mexican...glumping "hispanics" like they do "arabs"...using broad stereotypes to demean one and all. The undercurrent of racism in the attacks on Hispanics by the Repugnicans need to be truly recognized and bonds and bridges made to these people...a majority who ARE American citizens and mobilize them to vote with us for the start of regime change this fall.

Cheers...

[egadsbrain]

26. Many threads here...

There were lots more yesterday, some good discussions burning up the boards!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=745050&mesg_id=745050

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x745283

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=735829&mesg_id=735829

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=745050&mesg_id=745050

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=746585&mesg_id=746585

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x751073

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x750520

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=747452&mesg_id=747452