By Valeria Bula

Swimming through perilous oceans— facing the threat of dehydration, starvation, drowning, heat exhaustion, and shark attacks— thousands of Cubans throughout the decades have traversed the 90 mile trek, many dying, in a desperate attempt to reach American soil.

The majority reach the U.S. on make-shift rafts while others make it on motor boats, their minds filled with hope and aspirations of a better life on free land, running away from a poverty and communism stricken land.

That all changed on Jan. 12, 2017, when former President Barack Obama issued an executive over to end the long standing “wet foot, dry foot” policy which allowed Cubans to enter the U.S. without a visa and become permanent residents, as well as securing other federal welfare aids.

The move by Obama was an unprecedented final foreign policy decision that caught many by surprise and brought decades long controversy circulating the policy and its preferential treatment for a single group of immigrants to an end.

“By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries,” Obama wrote in a statement. “Since I took office, we have put the Cuban-American community at the center of our policies. With this change we will continue to welcome Cubans as we welcome immigrants from other nations, consistent with our laws.”

The U.S. government will now consider residency requests for Cubans in the same way as migrants from other countries.

Though many expressed discontent and anger at the policy being rescinded, the action spurred widespread jubilance and applaud from several Americans and even members of the Cuban community.

Many argued that the policy encouraged Cubans to make the dangerous trip from Cuba to Florida, rather than attempt to mitigate and end the issues facing Cuba from within the country itself. Immigrants from other nations argued that the policy provided excessive preferential treatment for one group, to the point that many even abused such privileges.

“[The move] will only serve to tighten the noose the Castro regime continues to have around the neck of its own people,” said Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Cuban-American, in a statement. “The Obama administration seeks to pursue engagement with the Castro regime at the cost of ignoring the present state of torture and oppression, and its systematic curtailment of freedom.”

Those for the issues were especially content, including republicans such as Sen. Marco Rubio, saying that this turn of legislation will constitute equity amongst all immigrants and refugees as well as prevent further abuses made by Cubans under the program. Abuses included Medicare fraud.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also said eliminating the “wet foot, dry foot policy” would “undoubtedly impact” the Cuban-American community. Although the old policy granted relief to those fleeing persecution, the mayor expressed concern over it being abused.

Now that the policy has been rescinded, many see this as a wake up calls to Cubans to bring about transformation in their oppressive government now that they can’t turn to the United States.

“Lots of things can happen, like a rebellion or a bigger focus on these Cubans that want to make a profound and real change in Cuba now that this bridge isn’t there… there’s no escape,” said Music Producer Armando Flores, a second generation Cuban.