President Obama ordered an immediate end Thursday to the long-standing U.S. policy of granting easy residency permits to Cubans who reach U.S. shores, probably the last major foreign policy initiative of his tenure. For that reason, the practice became known as the “wet foot, dry foot” policy. Ending the “wet foot, dry foot” policy was negotiated over several months, administration officials said. Jorge Mas, chairman of the Cuban American National Foundation, which opposes the Castro government, said ending “wet foot, dry foot” will have a beneficial effect. “Wet foot, dry foot” grew out of the 1966 law, following negotiations with Cuba in 1995.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 12, 2017 21:36 UTC