MIAMI - Gov. Jeb Bush said Friday his clash with his brother's administration over the repatriation of 12 Cubans accused of hijacking a boat in a bid to reach Florida suggests a larger issue: There should be a review of U.S.-Cuba immigration policy.
Bush said he disagrees with the decision last week to return the Cubans to the "repressive" government of Fidel Castro. He said he's spoken with high-ranking officials in the administration of his brother, President Bush, seeking answers to why they were repatriated despite legitimate fears of persecution.
"In a climate where ... Castro is defiant in his opposition to freedom and democracy to the point where even once allies in Europe have said that the human rights abuses are excessive, in that climate for that group, it was inappropriate," Bush said.
He added, "The policy that we have with Cuba should be put under review given the circumstances in Cuba today."
The governor said there was a "larger context of human rights violations" in Cuba that should be considered in assessing the current immigration policy. He also hinted at a major announcement of some kind by his brother's administration in the coming months related to Cuba policy.
The governor's stance mirrors that of Cuban-American exiles and several members of Congress who have criticized the Bush administration for a policy they call inconsistent and unbalanced.
But President Bush's spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday that U.S. policy on Cuba is clear. Under the "wet foot, dry foot" policy adopted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the 1990s, Cubans who reach U.S. soil are allowed to stay; those caught at sea usually are sent home.
Cubans who display a genuine fear of persecution if returned can be taken to the U.S. Navy Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and await asylum in a third country.
The 12 Cubans were repatriated after they were intercepted by the Coast Guard in a Cuban research vessel allegedly hijacked with three Cuban security guards aboard.
