In a \u201cStatement by the President on Cuban Immigration Policy\u201c on Jan. 12, 2017, President Barack Obama wrote about ending the mid-1990s so-called \u201cwet-foot\/dry foot\u201d policy of expediting U.S. legal status to Cubans who made it to U.S. land: \u201cToday, 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 \u2018wet-foot\/dry foot\u2019 policy, which was put in place more than twenty years ago and was designed for a different era.\u00a0Effective 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.\u00a0By 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.\u201d\u00a0[Con Embargo]<\/p>\n