Cuban Mass Migration

Mass migration is a current topic of debate because of the recent developments of unaccompanied children crossing the southern US border and the Middle Eastern refugees fleeing into Europe. Another lurking possibility is that Raul Castro might imitate his brother’s previous actions in the 1980 Mariel Boatlift in which more than 100,000 Cuban citizens came to South Florida in a matter of a few months. Hidden in this deluge of humanity was the fact that Fidel Castro emptied his prison and mental health populations into the mass migration. Ian Smith, an attorney working for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, posits that Raul Castro is likely preparing to launch another mass migration similar to the Mariel Boatlift (Smith, 2016). Mr.
As previously discussed, the strategy of the US as set forth by President Obama will likely contribute to the advent of a Cuban mass migration. If this occurs, then the Coast Guard would face the dilemma of how to assist thousands of refugees without violating the current Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy established by President Clinton, which was not in effect at the time of the Mariel Boatlift. The current policy requires the Coast Guard to intercept and return any Cuban citizens found at sea who have not yet placed their “foot” on dry land. However, if over 100,000 refugees again attempt to travel by sea, then the Coast Guard would face tremendous humanitarian pressure to help what would be countless cases of refuges facing drowning situations. Within the support category, the mass migration event will definitely task local law enforcement with the sheer number of people involved. Exacerbating the already strained local services will be the likely event that Cuba would copy its previous tactic of emptying its prisons as it did during the Mariel Boatlift. Determining which of the refuges is a dangerous criminal will pose interagency coordination problems between local law enforcement and the Immigration Department. Additional potential coordination issues are where to shelter the massive amount of people, how to provide proper medical care and screening for such a large populace, and how to provide adequate food, water, and clothing for a newly arrived mass of people. The Red Cross and other non-governmental agencies would have to be coordinated. Concerning the defense choice, the governor will likely immediately declare a state of emergency and call up the National Guard in State Active Duty status. As