Cuban migrants follow ‘special procedure’ to get U.S residency

As El Paso sees waves of Cuban migrants arriving at the border, Abc-7 is learning more about the process they follow to stay and work in the U.S. Over the last week at least 100 arrived at the Houchen Community Center seeking food and shelter–88 more are expected sometime today. These groups face a different set of circumstances than migrants from other countries.

Due to of our historical relationship with Cuba, migrants get specialized treatment that no other country gets. The development of the Cuban adjustment act in 1965 allowed for migrants who step foot on U.S soil to essentially enter on a “fast track” to U.S residency and a monthly stipend.

Now that the relations between the two countries are warming up, Cubans are afraid those benefits will be done away with– prompting a spike at the border. Cuban migrants are only required to stay in the U.S for a year, before they can apply for residency. Once they do, their applications are lumped with other applications at an immigration court, but migrants from any other country don’t get a monthly stipend and have two options–enter the U.S as refugees, or seek asylum. Their cases are heard by an immigration judge and if approved, they’re granted asylee status and only then can they apply for lawful status.

“Here in El Paso, our immigration courts are very backlogged just because we have such a high volume and so few judges. So here in El Paso, if you’re not detained, and you’re applying for asylum in front of the immigration curt, your case can very easily last 3-4 years, maybe even more just because of backlogs,” Attorney Iliana Hoguin said.

Once the Cuban migrants arrive they are processed by customs and border protection, screened then released. They have 30 days to apply for their monthly stipend and they must physically go to the Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services office to apply. It takes about 2-3 weeks before their application is processed and they receive a check.