No More Wet Feet, Dry Feet or Dusty Feet for Cuban Immigrants

With the softening of political relationships between United States and Cuba, many Cuban families will be reunited sooner.  Since the 1950s, Cubans have risked their lives, left their family members behind and arrived on American soil in search of a better life.  As with many immigrants before them, Americans set up agencies to specifically work with these new arrivals - in fact - we eliminated much of the paperwork other ethnic groups encountered and encouraged Cubans to get to the United States shores and out of the Soviet style dictatorship that is Fidel Castro. 

The majority of the Cuban immigrants set up life in Florida but many made their way further up the East Coast and settled in Union City, NJ.  Union City, NJ became so dominated by the "Cuban" flavor that it became known as "Little Havana on the Hudson".  Since the year 2000, there is a Cuban Day Parade celebrated in June - plans are already in the works for this years event - proceeds go to scholarships for disadvanted children, aid for worldwide natural disasters and other humane organizations.  For over 45 years, Cuban Americans have participated in Union City, NJ's political, social and economic environment. 

These Cuban Americans, now fully assimilated into American life have longed for the day when travel to/from their country would be more direct. President Obama, has loosened travel restrictions and allowed for Americans to send cash to family members in Cuba who are not members of the Castro Administration or Communist Party.  Further, reunification with family members who for various reason did not leave Cuba will now become easier.  Cuban Spouses or minor children of Legal Permanent Residents of the United States, can now proceed through immigration under regular immigrant Visa applications as of January 2011.  If documents are not available to confirm the biological relationships claimed on a Family Based Visas - a simple DNA test can expedite confirmation and reunite families even sooner.  The DNA Lady can arrange for DNA sample collection from the Sponsor in the United States and the Beneficiary (s) in Cuba.

Cuban-Americans form the 4th largest Hispanic population in the United States and also the largest group of Hispanics of European ancestry.