Congressmen Introduce Bill to Change Cuban Immigration (video link below) 

Members of Congress from south Texas said a generous Cuban immigration policy has lasted too long.

Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Blake Farenthold filed a bill to undo the historic Cuban Adjustment Act.

Cubans get special asylum the minute they touch U.S. soil. The congressmen said it’s an old policy that’s unfair to other immigrants.

On Thursday, refugee Jyler Lopez Mendoza arrived to the U.S. from Cuba. The wait at the bridge lasted 28 hours for him.

Mendoza said he’s trying to figure out what to do next. He said he would rather not see some of the places his journey took him through again.

The refugee took a chance and traveled through Central America and Mexico. He said he watched the U.S. and Cuba’s relationship change. He was worried he would lose his chance for asylum.

The number of Cuban refugees at the southern U.S. border is on the rise. The proposed C.U.B.A. act would put Cubans in the same category as immigrants from other countries.

"The cold war ended a long time ago,” said UTRGV professor Maria Elena Forina. “We really have no justification."

An analysis states Cuban immigrants cost taxpayers $680 million a year.

"Who wants to give up a benefit that has been such a godsend to a lot of people, right?” Forina said. “You don't want to go through all the bureaucracy and dangers that all the other Latin American immigrants have to go through.”

The bill’s sponsors said the Cuban Adjustment Act is unfair to some immigrants. Some in Central America are fleeing drug violence.

Cubans are now watching U.S-Cuba relations get warmer. Refugee Jyler Lopez Mendoza said he hopes the change will happen. He said he hopes his homeland benefits from the renewed warmth between the two countries.

Lopez said he’s just happy he can watch that change happen from the U.S.

A steady increase of Cuban immigrants was seen at the Texas border, especially last year. They’re using a new route that takes about a 2,000-mile journey through Central America in Mexico. It’s an alternative to floating across the short, guarded 90 miles that separate Florida and Cuba.