Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) has issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s decision to end the Cuban “wet foot dry foot” policy:

“Today I had a conversation with the Department of Homeland Security, where they informed me that effective immediately the United States will end the outdated “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy for Cuban immigrants.  Ending this outdated policy is something I’ve been calling on the Administration to do and have been working on with my colleagues in Congress.  The Obama Administration and Cuban government have come to an agreement allowing for repatriation and expedited removal of Cuban nationals who arrive at our ports of entry. This is an important step forward in modernizing our outdated immigration policies towards Cuba. The wet foot dry foot policy provided Cubans an unprecedented special immigration status that no other group of people possessed. I now call on our Congressional leaders to finish the job and end the outdated Cuban Adjustment Act and repeal the special financial benefits they receive if paroled. In the last fiscal year alone we saw approximately 56,000 Cubans arrive at our borders including roughly 34,658 through the Laredo Port of Entry in my home town.”