Those fleeing Cuba and Haiti by boat cannot enter the U.S.. That new ruling comes from the Department of Homeland Security and it stands for those who demonstrate fear of being persecuted or tortured in their home countries. An expert explains whether there is a hidden political importance to this move.

The announcement by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is not what it seems at first glance.

“Secretary Mayorkas made a pose of being tough on Haitian or Cuban boat people if we have a problem like that. But it wasn’t quite as tough as you think. Because, while he pledged to stop people from Haiti or Cuba coming by sea, he specifically said that. At the very time he was speaking, the Border Patrol was forced to let in people from Haiti and Cuba and a lot of other places, who snuck across the land border," explains Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies.

The decision affects people who come to the US by boat or raft to a place like Florida. Krikorian does not agree that this is an attempt by the Biden administration to keep out anti-leftist refugees from Cuba.

“I think the political issue here is different. Because, remember, they’re not just saying Cubans. It’s also Haitians. Because both countries have, are suffering problems at the same time. We haven’t see yet a big outflow of people on rafts or boats from either country yet. But the potential is clearly there because of the unrest,” says Krikorian. “They’re worried about appearing weak at the same time that the land border is basically disintegrating. And getting wiped out like Jimmy Carter was 40 years ago when he had a similar problem with boat people from Cuba.” 

He also does not envision the Cuban refugees will stop coming any time soon.

“It kinda depends on what happens in Cuba. And, quite frankly, even if somehow these latest demonstrations lead to a change in regime, which would be good for everybody, that actually might lead to increased immigration," he tells us. 

He says, until things in Cuba are truthfully stabilized -there will always be significant pressure.