I was watching CSI Miami the other night. I can only assume “wet foot dry foot” relates to a USA immigration law. Can someone please explain exactly how it works?
The law currently requires Cuban nationals who are intercepted at sea and fail to reach shore to be sent back to Cuba, while those who are successful in reaching land are given asylum. Wiki cite
Thanks Bill. What I am particularly interested in is the notion of “shore” and “dry land”. In the episode it was suggested that any person stepping into the water to assist a refugee would be in violation. But then our hero Davy Crock…err…Caruso, rushed into the water to help a struggling refugee. Would he (Davy) be in violation, or would that particular refugee by default be under arrest as the assistance had been undertaken by a law enforcement officer while the refugee was still “wet”?
The “wet foot” does no literally refer to being wet versus dry. If they reach shore, they are allowed to stay. The definition of “shore” was upgraded recently to include structures not connected to land. This was because a group of refugees reached a portion of a bridge in the Florida keys that was unattached to land, they were returned to Cuba, but a court later found that they should have been allowed to stay. I’m pretty sure that walking up a beach, even if partially in the water counts as reaching shore.
It has been my understanding that going into the surf to assist a struggling (or drowning) refugee would be against the (really stupid) law. You need to wait until they get on sand (or a suitable substitute such as a piling, bridge, dock, etc) before assisting them.
Although if I see someone in the surf in serious distress, I’m going in after them…
I understand that the foot that can be either wet or dry is not the refugee but the local helper. If your feet are wet, you are in violation. (of course all the refugees will have wet feet, they just sailed accross the sea to get here).