OK i'll answer this one AGAIN.
It has to do with the Cuban Adjustment Act.
The Cuban Adjustment act, was adopted by the US congress on the 2nd of November of 1966, under the Lyndon Johnson administration. It's main provision was to change the legal status of the Cuban immigrants; to treat them as political refugees and to grant them political asylum; and as such provide them immediately with privileges that no other group enjoys, such as, automatic permanent residence status - all without review and without the usual waiting time.
This privileged law affords the Cuban illegal immigrant the opportunity, to work legally, to govt. welfare, to unemployment benefits, and to free medical care. Things that the average immigrant (and US citizen) by no means is entitled to.
Their government, unlike that in the U.S., does not prevent people from leaving that do decide to do so. And in fact these people are forced by the U.S. government and the powerful Cuban-American terrorist lobby to take these unsafe craft for their voyage to the U.S. If the U.S. government or the powerful Cuba-American lobby were concerned with the well fair of these people and in seeing them on a safe voyage to the U.S. then they would provide for safe travel for them. But how much anti-Cuba publicity would that stir up? “Well today 2 Cubans flew from Havana to Miami on a 747 and landed safely.” Its much more important for their propaganda to show people on these boats trying to leave. Provide them with safe travel and they’d take it.
Approximately 4 thousand illegal immigrants arrive in the US daily, almost three times more than arrive illegally each year from Cuba. How often do you see their plight on the news? Very little. But of course the "free" press is always stacked against Cuba. When 5 or six boat people arrive from Cuba you are bound to hear it on the 6 o'clock news. The Miami Press controlled by the old Batistianos is even worse. The length of the news that the Cuban boat people are afforded is considerably more than given to other boat people. In essence what it's really about is to entice Cubans to leave illegally so that we can see it on the 6 o'clock news.
It has nothing to do with humanity, this law is really evil in intent; for if you think about it, as the result of this diabolical law, many have, over the years, risked and lost their lives.
In fact the U.S. repeatedly denies visas to Cuban citizens who apply for them. After repeated denials obviously people will be frustrated with the U.S. and knowing full well that the Cuban Adjustment act exists, granting full and immediate immigrant status with all the perks, they steal boats (or indenture themselves to Cuban-American exile terrorists that illegally traffic people). Either they make it to the U.S. and gain immigrant status or die in unsafe craft. People that get caught by Cuban coast guard after stealing boats obviously go to jail, just as they would in any other country. But once in jail that is when the U.S. interest section comes calling (after repeatedly ignoring attempts at a visa for legal immigration to the US) saying now they are ready to grant them a visa if they sign statements declaring themselves political prisoners. Should shed some light on this "political prisoner" issue, at least the majority of the cases, which the person is a legitimate criminal.
The INS is authorized to grant 20,000 visas annually to Cubans, but rarely fills any of them.
Now if the US has an immigration law and mechanism that allow Cubans to leave the island legally why then does the US have another policy enticing people to leave illegally and purposely never use the legal means?
