In a “Statement by the President on Cuban Immigration Policy“ on Jan. 12, 2017, President Barack Obama wrote about ending the mid-1990s so-called “wet-foot/dry foot” policy of expediting U.S. legal status to Cubans who made it to U.S. land: “Today, the United States is taking important steps forward to normalize relations with Cuba and to bring greater consistency to our immigration policy. The Department of Homeland Security is ending the so-called ‘wet-foot/dry foot’ policy, which was put in place more than twenty years ago and was designed for a different era. Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with U.S. law and enforcement priorities. By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries. The Cuban government has agreed to accept the return of Cuban nationals who have been ordered removed, just as it has been accepting the return of migrants interdicted at sea.” [Con Embargo]
President Barack Obama, “Statement by the President on Cuban Immigration Policy,” ObamaWhiteHouse.archives.gov, Jan. 12, 2017