The Biden administration is facing mounting pressure to act after scores of pro-freedom demonstrators in Cuba have reportedly gone missing following a rare protest over the weekend against the island’s communist dictatorship.
Cuban authorities have cut off social media access on the island in an apparent attempt to stop the protests from spreading and to stop the world from seeing their response to the protesters.
Biden Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas responded to the ongoing crisis by saying earlier this week that anyone who attempts to enter the U.S. via a maritime journey will not be allowed into the U.S., even if they have a legitimate asylum claim. Mayorkas also simultaneously addressed a separate crisis going on inside Haiti.
“The Coast Guard, along with our state, local, and federal partners are monitoring any activity that may indicate increases in unsafe and irregular maritime migration in the Florida straits, including unpermitted vessel departures from Florida to Cuba,” Mayorkas said on Wednesday. “The time is never right to attempt migration by sea. To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear: if you take to the Sea, you will not come to the United States.”
“If individuals make, establish a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, they are referred to third countries for resettlement,” Mayorkas said. “They will not enter the United States.”
Critics were quick to note the Biden administration’s border crisis, which has seen a massive surge in illegal aliens entering the U.S. this year and the administration’s record low level of deporting illegal aliens from the country. Many critics said that the Biden administration does not want to help Cubans fleeing oppression because the majority of Cuban Americans vote for Republicans.
Alejandro’s remarks garnered some of the following responses from critics:
- Donald Trump Jr.: “DHS Secretary Mayorkas does not want legitimate asylum-seekers fleeing Cuba to come to the US despite his family having done just that. Apparently he only wants people pretending to need asylum because those people will still vote for socialist Democrats!”
- Dana Loesch: “The admin should just come out and say that they’ll only allow in people who don’t vote Republican.”
- Will Ricciardella: “This what happens when you know refugees will vote for Republicans.”
- John Cardillo: “They ban those fleeing communism and dictatorships because they know how they’ll vote. Spoiler: It won’t be for Dems.”
- Bryan Dean Wright: “The difference in how Biden treats illegals from Central America vs Cuba is astonishing. And predictable. The former is his base. The latter is not.”
- Buck Sexton: “Cubans fleeing oppression and murder by their own government right now are the definition of *legitimate asylum seekers* But Democrats all of a sudden are anti-asylum, because a lot of Cubans vote Republican.”
- Ben Shapiro: “The new rule is that only refugees the Democrats presume will vote Republican will be turned away.”
Other notable responses included:
Suddenly the Biden admin is tough on illegal immigration when those “migrants” come from a country that typically doesn’t vote Democrat when here. Are you noticing the trend? https://t.co/pKYt9o4i9e
— E (@ElijahSchaffer) July 14, 2021
This is punishment for Cuban Americans giving Florida to Trump in 2020. https://t.co/z2Y7EsxtYf
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) July 14, 2021
Let me get this straight: The Biden administration can welcome in unlimited numbers of illegal immigrants from Mexico, but not Cuban refugees escaping a communist regime that's actively working to suppress protesters asking for basic freedoms? https://t.co/gwF3m9sreQ
— Kelsey Bolar (Harkness) (@kelseybolar) July 14, 2021
Mayorkas is a Cuban national whose family fled to the United States and Florida. Do you think a single cable news host like Cuomo, Tapper or Chuck Todd will ask him about this? Just one? https://t.co/eUD5R6z3s2
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/RLHeinrichs/status/1415328331051016197
After inviting caravans of migrants, most looking for better paying jobs, Biden team shuts down people actually fleeing oppression from a violent communist government https://t.co/XGqmrSyQle
— Rob Schmitt (@SchmittNYC) July 14, 2021
The "Biden" administration is xenophobic, anti-immigrant, and racist.
Their rules. https://t.co/WDMwewuSsI
— Matthew Kolken (@mkolken) July 14, 2021
So you can come into America from any country around the globe, but if you are running away from Communism, @JoeBiden will send you right back. https://t.co/YTJKO6Os1g
— Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) July 15, 2021
Wow! People waving American flags, yearning to be free from communist Cuba, turned away. Maybe if they pay the cartels (apparently DNC allies) and cross the southern border – then they’ll be welcomed? https://t.co/4OVwfu0znJ
— Warren Davidson 🇺🇸 (@WarrenDavidson) July 14, 2021
The Biden Admin threatened that any refugee fleeing communist Cuba would be turned away, while he supports open borders and lets everyone in at our southern border.
This isn’t the first time for Joe.
Senator Biden turned his back on refugees from Vietnam escaping communism. https://t.co/525LsIjGmJ
— Amy Phan West (@amyphanwest) July 14, 2021
This is how Joe Biden acts when the refugees will likely be future republican voters. https://t.co/35n1gsWIEs
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) July 14, 2021
Democrats to Cubans: Drop dead https://t.co/C31RabCs42
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) July 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/MrJustinBarclay/status/1415406833766965261
Cross the southern border illegally & @SecMayorkas won’t forcefully object. But attempt to flee Communism in the face of a real threat to your life & suddenly illegal immigration becomes his top concern.
There's no good policy explanation for this, but there is a political one. https://t.co/BdUsyS2ZVi
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) July 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/thejcoop/status/1415290259294785540
The Biden administration: illegal crossing of the land border is acceptable, but by boat is a “no,” and escaping from socialism is a definite “no.” https://t.co/f48hCTE6yn
— Helen Raleigh (@HRaleighspeaks) July 14, 2021
They are leaving Cubans to die at the hands of a violent and ruthless regime, so don’t EVER tell me they care about immigrants, freedom or justice. https://t.co/8q4GV8qO1q
— Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) July 14, 2021