Cuba urges U.S. to end policy illegal immigration

Cuba on Thursday once again urged the United States to end its so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, which gives Cuban immigrants special treatment.

As delegations from the two countries met in Havana for the latest round of bilateral talks on immigration, Cuban officials "once again expressed their deep concern for the persistence of the 'wet-foot, dry-foot' policy" and other laws that grant automatic entry "to those who arrive illegally, regardless of the ways and means they use," Cuba's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It added that Cuban immigrants receive better treatment than other immigrant groups.

The outdated laws "violate the letter and spirit of the Immigration Agreements in effect, through which both governments pledged to guarantee legal, safe and orderly emigration," the ministry said.

Cubans gambling on reaching U.S. shores via makeshift rafts and other precarious means can fall victim to a range of crimes, including human trafficking, according to Cuban officials.

"There can be no normal migratory ties between the two countries as long as these policies continue to exist," the ministry said.

In December, Cuba's government reinstated a travel restriction on medical professionals in a bid to forestall a possible shortage of doctors, surgeons and other healthcare workers, who are also targets of selective U.S. immigration policy called the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program.

The thaw in bilateral relations between the two countries, first announced in December 2014, led to an unforeseen increase in Cubans heading north fearing that Washinton may change course.

The so called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, which puts Cubans who reach

U.S. soil on a fast track to permanent residency, is one of many Cold War-era policies that persist despite the restoration of diplomatic relations and efforts to normalize ties. Endi