Obama just ended automatic Visas for Cuban refugees

[ati87]

This guy has done more in the realm of foreign policy since Trump won the election, than he did in eight years. What a shameless way to behave. If he really believed in something, he should have done something about it before he was a lame duck. All this stuff just comes off as terribly cowardly, politically.

Obama was in a shitty situation from the very beginning.

I always felt that Obama came into office as a naïeve novice but at some point the politics of being the president hit him. With that I mean both parties that have bunch of people that are convinced that their idea's are right because of XYZ or because they get money from certain groups to believe that (probably the latter).

Gitmo is still open because of democratic obstruction and not just republicans, Obama signed the executive order but congress blocked him from closing the prison.

Obama has been really active lately doing whatever because the next president isn't a democrat but Trump. What does Obama care if Trump wants to fill the swamp currently he is president and he can do whatever he feels like it without thinking to much about the politics side of it.

[starlord]

it will be interesting to see how this plays out. cubans have always been a solid red bet anyways.

but i wonder how much whiplash the repubs are willing to have for this. it does not bode well for international relations if we do a 180 every election.

[Zoranon]

it will be interesting to see how this plays out. cubans have always been a solid red bet anyways.

but i wonder how much whiplash the repubs are willing to have for this. it does not bode well for international relations if we do a 180 every election.

I would not consider one week of a policy change a whiplash. Especially if it is done by a lame duck.

At any rate Obama seems intent on sabotaging Trump those last few weeks.

[Wells]

At any rate Obama seems intent on sabotaging Trump those last few weeks.

Jesus christ the fucking rhetoric. Obama has been normalizing relations with Cuba for a long time now. This is just another step in that. The man is still president.

[Vizardlorde]

Maybe because lives of people are a bit more important than shaking hands with dictators.

Encouraging people to drown in the Florida strait trying to make it to dry land or be deported otherwise is caring about lives? There are legal forms of immigration out of Cuba and while there is a lack of freedom of expression and poverty, people from other Latin american countries have it much worse due to drug violence/ smugglers etc.

[Themius]

As a cuban I support this. Now they just need to end the access to medicare and ssn benefits for those whove never worked here.

That's just stupid. I don't want a rise in crime and sick cubans.

[iperson]

That's racist!

[Vizardlorde]

That's just stupid. I don't want a rise in crime and sick cubans.

Why is it reaonable to allow only 1 group of immigrants receive a direct path to citizenship upon setting foot here without having ever contributed a single penny to the Economy and having benefits comparable to those of citizens. Its unfair that My great-aunt worked here for 40 years and my grandpa who only worked 3 months has a bigger ssn check because he came as an asylum seeker( and no no raft involoved he came here on a temporary visa and violated its expiration like most illegals from central america) and she came as a legal immigrant from spain while both being Cuban.

[unbound]

In a MAJOR AND I MEAN MAJOR shift in US policy President Obama just scrapped the policy of granting automatic Visa's to anyone who make it here from Cuba and it is about damn time. We do not grant this to any other group of people. Not North Koreans, Chinese, or Vietnamese.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/12/obama...out-visas.html

You might want to look up the history of why the policy came about. We used to actually transport those found at sea to the US whereas the wet foot dry foot policy returned almost all of them to Cuba.

You might also want to think a bit more closely about the not enjoyed by "North Koreans, Chinese, or Vietnamese" before pushing on that too much. Try thinking about it with a world map in your hand.

It wasn't a great policy, but it had a purpose that had more to do with being a decent human beings than anything else. The primary reason it is going away is because Obama normalized relations, so the whole fleeing an oppressive regime doesn't really work anymore.

[Themius]

Why is it reaonable to allow only 1 group of immigrants receive a direct path to citizenship upon setting foot here without having ever contributed a single penny to the Economy and having benefits comparable to those of citizens. Its unfair that My great-aunt worked here for 40 years and my grandpa who only worked 3 months has a bigger ssn check because he came as an asylum seeker( and no no raft involoved he came here on a temporary visa and violated its expiration like most illegals from central america) and she came as a legal immigrant from spain while both being Cuban.

You have an issue with Asylum seekers?

[Vizardlorde]

You have an issue with Asylum seekers?

Yes there are groups far more worthy of asylum who are being bombed left and right by their government their neighbors and foreign entities. Meanwhile Cubans get the status cause they want to complain about poverty and freedom of expression. The law is just coldwar BS.

[satimy]

Good, obamas Cuba policy is very modern

[Orlong]

In a MAJOR AND I MEAN MAJOR shift in US policy President Obama just scrapped the policy of granting automatic Visa's to anyone who make it here from Cuba and it is about damn time. We do not grant this to any other group of people. Not North Koreans, Chinese, or Vietnamese.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/12/obama...out-visas.html

Wow he actually did something right for a change! Surprising he did something like this as he tries as hard as he can to make it easy for people to invade our southern border

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Pull that ladder up behind ya!

Shouldve never left it down to begin with. At some point the foundation will crumble from the weight of too many people climbing that ladder

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Not treating sick people because "muh welfare queens" is a great way to earn your Darwin Award when they start spreading diseases in your population

Rather than treat them, we couldve removed them by putting them on a boat and sending it back to Cuba

[zenkai]

In a MAJOR AND I MEAN MAJOR shift in US policy President Obama just scrapped the policy of granting automatic Visa's to anyone who make it here from Cuba and it is about damn time. We do not grant this to any other group of people. Not North Koreans, Chinese, or Vietnamese.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/12/obama...out-visas.html

How Republican of him to do that.

It makes sense though since he's trying to rebuild Cuban relations.

[Wildtree]

Surprising he did something like this as he tries as hard as he can to make it easy for people to invade our southern border

..another fine example of Orlong being uninformed, misinformed, uneducated

whatever you wanna call it.
Get your facts straight.. Obama's action actually fits his overall handling of border control
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank...r-record-high/

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama...ry?id=41715661

[Ulfric Trumpcloak]

Encouraging people to drown in the Florida strait trying to make it to dry land or be deported otherwise is caring about lives? There are legal forms of immigration out of Cuba and while there is a lack of freedom of expression and poverty, people from other Latin american countries have it much worse due to drug violence/ smugglers etc.

The only legal permanent way out of Cuba for a common citizen is to be claimed through "family reunion". The family member making said claim was either exiled or left the country on a boat. Easy to call yourself a Cuban and talk about how easy they got things, when you didn't experience it first hand.

[Hashtronaut]

Kind of Strange after the Dems spent the last couple of years calling anyone that didn't want mass immigration from the Middle East Racist then do this?

Yeah I dont understand this move at all? Seems this action is the exact OPPOSITE of everything dems have said/done since I can remember.

The only thing I can think of is because Fidel is dead(?) not sure why that would matter, but thats the only major change in Cuba recently(?)...or because Obama is about to leave office that has to have something to do with this.

[Wildtree]

Yeah I dont understand this move at all? Seems this action is the exact OPPOSITE of everything dems have said/done since I can remember.

The only thing I can think of is because Fidel is dead(?) not sure why that would matter, but thats the only major change in Cuba recently(?)...or because Obama is about to leave office that has to have something to do with this.

The US and Cuba are on track to normalize their relationship.
That naturally eliminates the refugee situation. You cannot get to the US as a Brit and claim refugee status, or a Mexican, or Canadian, or whatever country that is in normal friendly relationship with the US.
Additionally the hypocrisy of the wet foot, dry foot policy had to come to an end.
You are Cuban, and set foot on dry US land, WELCOME.. your boat is caught in US waters, NO ENTRY.
Makes no sense, at least not anymore.

[Hashtronaut]

The US and Cuba are on track to normalize their relationship.
That naturally eliminates the refugee situation. You cannot get to the US as a Brit and claim refugee status, or a Mexican, or Canadian, or whatever country that is in normal friendly relationship with the US.
Additionally the hypocrisy of the wet foot, dry foot policy had to come to an end.
You are Cuban, and set foot on dry US land, WELCOME.. your boat is caught in US waters, NO ENTRY.
Makes no sense, at least not anymore.

Thanks for the insight when you put it that way makes a lot of sense.

I just don't quite understand where this came from...haven't heard anything on the news in regards to Cuban immigration, and Obama already did his end of term speech assumed he would just be chillin smoking a blunt these next two weeks. Seems off the radar is all.

[Vizardlorde]

The only legal permanent way out of Cuba for a common citizen is to be claimed through "family reunion". The family member making said claim was either exiled or left the country on a boat. Easy to call yourself a Cuban and talk about how easy they got things, when you didn't experience it first hand.

Lies there is a visa lottery where applications are selected every year. We were not claimed by anyone and came of our own volition. Our reason for coming was economic opportunity and not political dissent.It took 1 year to go through all the paperwork. And I am not a 2nd gen cuban I was born in the island and experienced the poverty.