At a time when the U.S./Mexico border is experiencing an unprecedented tsunami of migrants yearning to plunder and pillage, it would seem like a good time to strongly fortify it. As crazy as it sounds, how about we build a giant wall? The idea isn’t that far-fetched. But considering who’s president and who’s responsible for the new tidal wave of vagrants, something that sensible will never happen.
Since an overwhelming number of newbie migrants are Cuban, rather than just turn them around, Biden figured the better approach would be to fly some U.S. dignitaries to Havana to talk about human rights, while in the meanwhile, more of them keep coming.
Just between October and February, an astounding 46,000 Cuban refugees have pitched tents at the border. But this isn’t their only passageway. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the waters are full of makeshift overcrowded rafts trying to reach the Florida coastline.
Unless a raft comes apart and the passengers are drowning, Coast Guard choppers are powerless to stop them. And they don’t have nearly enough personnel to patrol Florida’s entire shoreline.
But this isn’t the biggest problem according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. For the ones who make it through and later get caught, there’s nowhere to deport them to. Cuba doesn’t want them back and it’s a sure bet that no other country wants them either.
A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department put the influx problem in perspective. “We regularly engage with Cuban officials on issues of importance to the U.S. government, such as human rights and migration, we have seen a significant increase in irregular Cuban migrants to the United States, both via land and maritime routes. Cubans currently rank the third-largest group arriving [sic] to the United States southwest border.”
To say that relations between Cuba and the U.S. are strained would be a gross understatement. Donald Trump had placed a number of sanctions on Cuba but not so many as to make an already bad situation worse. He kept with the status quo of the past.
Then along came Biden who thought Trump hadn’t done enough and tossed a few more at Cuban leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel. This was done in retaliation for the Cuban government striking out at protestors who were demanding a regime change.
Cuba’s economy has been flushed down the commode and the citizens are facing further repression with each passing day. Thousands of desperate young people with no future hope are deserting the island however they can. They have very little to leave behind.
As one would expect, the Cuban government is blaming the entire Exodus on U.S. policy. But if this was truly the case why do they all want to come to the U.S. where they know life is better?
The meeting will take place in Havana and it’ll mark the highest level of talks since Biden started napping in the Oval Office. Cuban foreign affairs vice-minister, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, a fierce critic of the U.S., will be one of the cigar-puffing attendees.
The as-yet-unnamed Biden officials have nothing to offer. Their goal is to convince the Cuban government to start being nicer to its citizens but they’re bringing a butter knife to a gunfight. Unless the U.S. is willing to lift its sanctions against them it’s a wasted trip. And that ain’t gonna happen.
So what’s to become of the tens of thousands of Cuban migrants who have nowhere to go? Say it with us: “Not the U.S.s circus, not the U.S.s monkey.” Can we get an amen?
