Hundreds of Cubans trying to cross to the United States from Mexico react to the end of the “Wet Foot, Dry Foot” policy claiming they feel lost and confused with the new decision from President Obama.
There is a lot of consternation among these immigrants who are in Tapachula, a southern state of Chiapas and tried to cross across this Mexican state to land in American soil and acquire immediate residence to stay legal in the country.
Although it has been said that this law won’t go into effect until the congress makes it official, the government of the United States pointed out that the decision has immediate effect.
"We did not think about Barack Obama or Donald Trump or what could happen, we just wanted to get there because most of us have problems in Cuba, strong economic problems," one of the immigrants said while being interviewed by AFP.
These hundreds of people are expecting a document that guarantees a free transit through the Mexico-U.S. border, although a source from the Mexican Immigration department warned that they must abide by the country's entry laws that apply to any citizen from any nation.
The "Wet foot, Dry foot" policy is the name given to a consequence of the 1995 revision of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that essentially says that anyone who fled Cuba and entered the United States would be allowed to pursue residency a year later.
On this past Wednesday January 11, former president Barack Obama announced the ending of the longstanding policy.
Watch immigrants in Mexico reactions in the video below where these Cuban nationals were caught in the middle of their trip to conquer the American dream.
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