Introduction

     The decision to summarily yank protected immigration status for nearly half a million refugees from South America has been criticized by many as a “sudden shift” in policy, “a reversal.” It’s neither. President Clinton set the precedent back in 1994 when Communist dictator Fidel Castro sent up a green flare allowing anyone who wanted to leave Cuba was free to go. The trail to the current decision began with that embarrassing moment in American immigration policy.

     The paper begins with examination of the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) of 1966, which allowed refugees from the island unfettered access to American soil, under the facade of doing the right thing, even if doing the right thing had more to do with toppling Castro than it did with an open border for refugees. 

(Image Credit: Castro in 1994: U.S. Needs to Change ‘Old, Obsolete Policy’ Toward Cuba)

Methodology

     Research Capsules contain a.) social media an “X” post by @jameslangelle; b.) an artificial intelligence query enclosed in parentheses (Begin Perplexity-AI) and (End Perplexity-AI); c.) Notes to analyze, clarify, acknowledge-refute the claims made in the AI query. The social media posts may or may not appear in each capsule. The AI queries have a link included and numbers in the text link to the references used by AI. 

     Following the Capsules is the heading Congressional Record, where archived floor discussions and debates are extracted from the record regarding the progress of legislation, or events critical to action taken by congress. Brief bios of those directly involved in those floor actions are included through AI queries.

     Lastly, Newspaper Archives are searched for articles, opinion pieces and reports on the progress of the subject. In this case, it will be directed more at a.) the CAA’66 and what happened in 1994 when Castro sent up the green flare.

Capsules

Cuba 1994

(Begin Perplexity-AI)

the cuban adjustment act of 1966

The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) is a United States federal law enacted on November 2, 1966, by President Lyndon B. Johnson12. This legislation provides a unique path for Cuban natives or citizens to obtain lawful permanent residency in the United States25. Key features of the Cuban Adjustment Act include:

1. Eligibility: The act applies to Cuban natives or citizens who have been inspected, admitted, or paroled into the United States after January 1, 19591.
2. Residency requirement: Applicants must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least one year12.
3. Expedited process: The CAA allows Cubans to bypass standard immigration rules and obtain permanent residency more quickly and easily than other immigrants2.
4. Family inclusion: The act also applies to non-Cuban spouses and children of eligible Cuban applicants2.
5. Exemptions: Cubans are exempt from immigration quotas and certain requirements imposed on other immigrants, such as showing family-based or employment-based reasons for residency1.

Historical context and modifications

The CAA was enacted during a period of significant Cuban migration to the United States following the Cuban Revolution. Between 1960 and 1970, the Cuban population in the U.S. grew from 79,000 to 439,0004.Over the years, the act has undergone several modifications:

1. Refugee Act of 1980: Reduced the required physical presence in the U.S. from two years to one year1.
2. Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy (1995-2017): This policy allowed Cubans who reached U.S. soil to request parole and eventually adjust their status under the CAA34.
3. 2017 changes: The Obama administration ended the Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy and modified the CAA to prohibit its exemption for Cuban nationals entering the U.S. without visas4.

Despite these changes, the Cuban Adjustment Act remains in effect, continuing to provide a unique pathway for Cuban natives and citizens to obtain permanent residency in the United States15

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/the-cuban-adjustment-act-of-19-Ko4ynY7jREKNUc1jQ8pVQg

president clinton halts cuban adjustment act during operation able vigil 1994

President Clinton did not halt the Cuban Adjustment Act during Operation Able Vigil in 1994. However, he did significantly change the U.S. policy towards Cuban immigrants810. On August 19, 1994, President Clinton announced that Cuban refugees would no longer be allowed to enter the United States automatically8. This marked a major shift in the decades-long preferential treatment of Cuban immigrants. The key changes implemented were:

1. Cubans intercepted at sea would be taken to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, rather than being allowed into the United States48.
2. Cubans who managed to reach U.S. soil would be detained while their cases were reviewed for eligibility to remain in the country8.
3. The Coast Guard, backed by the Navy, was ordered to intercept refugees at sea as part of Operation Able Vigil68.

These policy changes were aimed at preventing a repeat of the 1980 Mariel boatlift, during which 125,000 Cubans entered the United States8. President Clinton emphasized that this was a permanent reversal of the previous 30-year policy8. It’s important to note that while these changes significantly altered the implementation of the Cuban Adjustment Act, they did not halt or repeal the Act itself. The Cuban Adjustment Act remained in effect, but with more restrictions on how it was applied5

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/president-clinton-halts-cuban-LqMEAOhdRC6Is9U7fkVLiw

did clinton issue an executive order to halt the caa and send cuban refugees to guantanamo

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     Notes: The difference here being the sudden uncontrolled surge in boat people following the announcement by Castro; it overwhelmed the administration’s capacity to process the flotilla, and the Coast Guard was forced to interdict. It was suggested in Congress immediately following the surprise invasion that they be sent to Guantanamo in order to free up the cutters to intercept more of the boat people, a danger to themselves and everyone else. As will be seen in the case of the Venezuela TPS revocation, “national interests” were cited, but those are vague at best and appear to be more politically motivated.

Congressional Record

     Notes: Reaction to the announcement by the Communist dictator Castro was met with surprise and outrage in Congress, much of it directed at President Clinton for inability to take action on immigration. Most of that was already boiling over from the Haiti snafu, and the fact HIV-infected Haitian refugees were being allowed into the United States for treatment.

(Image Credit: 20 Years After the 1994 Cuban Raft Exodus – The Atlantic)

(Begin Congressional Record)

CUBAN ADJUSTMENT ACT NEEDS SECOND LOOK

(Mr. MAZZOLI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his re- marks.) 

     Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, yesterday at this time, from this well, I indicated that the United States was facing an immigration emergency, and I reached that conclusion from reading the papers as well as from having a briefing by administration officials…

     Attorney General Reno says, we will detain all incoming Cubans. Where? Where will we detain all those incoming Cubans? Florida? Fort Chaffe, AR, Guantanamo? Come to think of it, Guantanamo may make some sense. It is already in Cuba. Possibly we could make room there, if we ask the 15,000 Haitian refugees already there in tent city if they mind moving to Mariel, Cuba.

     Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli (D-KY), GPO-CRECB-1994-pt17-1-2.pdf, 19 August 1994,  page 23291.

CUBA

     The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 5 minutes. 

     Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a moment to say that I think many Americans have just observed the President of the United States doing a press conference on the situation in Cuba, among other things.

     The President has indicated that we are basically adopting a different procedure toward people who are trying to flee from the oppression of Castro’s Cuba. Apparently we are going to divert people who are leaving Cuba to get away from that oppression to other safe haven areas. 

     Unfortunately, we have not had any specifics of that. We need to know what those safe haven areas are going to be.

     The President specifically mentioned, Mr. Speaker, that they were going to use Guantanamo Bay, which I suppose makes some sense because that is in Cuba. The problem with using Guantanamo Bay, of course, is that it may violate some of the contractual arrangements we have on that base.     

     The other serious problem is that there are already about 15,000 Haitian refugees as a result of our problem policy with regard to Haiti. So it seems to me that there is going to be a need to find some additional safe havens, because I do not think there is any likelihood that the cruel oppressive violation of human rights policies of Fidel Castro are going to change any time soon.

     Inevitably, there are going to be people who are trying to get away from the Castro regime especially at a time when the country’s economy is crumbling very rapidly because they have lost some of the special arrangements they had with the former Soviet client states.

     We may very well be looking at the prospect of people in the Florida Straits trying to get away from Fidel Castro and people in the Windward Passage trying to get away from the misery we are producing in Haiti, and our United States Coast Guard and Navy and a tent city on Guantanamo, all at a time when the third hurricane of the season hits next week. Let us pray that does not happen, Mr. Speaker, and let us pray that we get some foreign policy out of the State Department before then. I think it is important.

Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-FL), GPO-CRECB-1994-pt17-1-2.pdf, page 23319-23320.

(End Congressional Record)

     Notes: Neither impressed nor pleased with the President’s performance regarding Cuba was illustrated by Porter Goss with his comparison to the existing crisis in Haiti and the refugees already at tent city. He was keen to note also an impending hurricane, adding to the urgency that seemed to be brushed off by the White House. He noted in the speech that President Clinton would house the refugees at, “Guantanamo and other places we are working on.” Clinton had no plan.

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rep goss house 1994

Porter Johnston Goss, a Republican from Florida, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 1994 elections12. He represented Florida’s 14th congressional district, which included Fort Myers, Naples, and part of Port Charlotte2. Goss was re-elected in the 1994 midterm elections, which saw a significant Republican victory known as the “Republican Revolution”1.The 1994 elections resulted in a 54-seat swing from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, giving Republicans control of the House for the first time since 19521. This marked a major political realignment, especially in the South, where Republicans gained 19 seats and outnumbered Democrats for the first time since Reconstruction1.Goss continued to serve in the House until September 23, 2004, when he resigned to become the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency34. During his tenure in Congress, Goss held several important positions, including:

1. Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (1997-2004)
2. Co-sponsor of the USA PATRIOT Act
3. Co-chair of the Joint 9/11 Intelligence Inquiry

Goss was known for his strong support of the CIA and consistently advocated for increased budget allocations for the agency2

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/rep-goss-house-1994-9Z2wApP7RumdJGwOddd5uQ

(Image credit: Rep. Porter Goss [R-FL14, 1993-2004], former Representative for Florida’s 14th Congressional District – GovTrack.us)

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     Notes: Goss had a direct stake in the fate of the refugees, having already been in the driver’s seat as a representative in Congress from Florida. He had witnessed the disregard by the White House, transferring HIV-infected Haitians from the base to his state for treatment. Certainly, it was the humane thing to do, but in the eyes of politics, not the most practical.

(Begin Congressional Record)

PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT UNDO THE CUBAN ADJUSTMENT ACT 

     The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker’s announced policy of February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. MENENDEZ] is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. 

 

(Image credit: A Makeshift Raft Speaks to the Risks Cubans Took to Escape Their Homeland | Smithsonian)

     Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want my comments today directly to go to our President with reference to the situation in Cuba. I am joined this evening by my distinguished colleague from Florida [Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN], whom I will yield to in a few moments. I think this is a very important time. 

     I want to yield to my distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida [Ms. Ros-LEHTINEN]. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. 

     The decision by the Clinton administration of intercepting in the high seas and then detaining at the Guantanamo Naval Base Cuban refugees who flee the Castro regime is indeed extremely disappointing. These Cuban refugees who risk their lives in the high seas in search of freedom should be processed as indicated by the Cuban Adjustment Act and be granted political asylum. The wave of Cuban refugees will not stop, as Mr. MENENDEZ pointed out, until the root cause of the problem, and that is the Castro dictatorship, is eliminated from Cuba.

Rep. R. Menendez, (D-NJ), GPO-CRECB-1994-pt17-1-2.pdf, 19 August 1994, pages 23336- 23340

(End Congressional Record)

Venezuela 2025

background on venezuela tps

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela was first designated on March 9, 2021, by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country36. The initial designation was based on Venezuela’s complex humanitarian crisis, marked by widespread hunger, malnutrition, growing influence of non-state armed groups, repression, and crumbling infrastructure6.

Key Developments

1. 2021 Designation: The original TPS designation for Venezuela allowed eligible Venezuelan nationals to apply for temporary protection and work authorization in the United States4.
2. 2023 Extension and Redesignation: On September 20, 2023, Secretary Mayorkas announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of TPS for Venezuela3. This decision was made due to increased instability and lack of safety in Venezuela3.
3. 2025 Extension: On January 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced another 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuela, running from April 3, 2025, to October 2, 20262.

Eligibility and Benefits

• Continuous Residence: Applicants must have continuously resided in the United States since July 31, 2023, for the latest redesignation25.
• Protection from Removal: TPS provides temporary protection from deportation for eligible individuals3.
• Work Authorization: TPS beneficiaries are eligible for employment authorization documents (EADs)3.

Current Status

As of February 2025, there are approximately 242,700 TPS beneficiaries under Venezuela’s existing designation, with an additional 472,000 Venezuelan nationals potentially eligible under the redesignation3. The TPS designation for Venezuela is set to expire on October 2, 2026, unless further extended4.

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/background-on-venezuela-tps-yxOOXJKUSeWkZkAmX6Lt9w

can president remove venezuela temporary status