A press release issued by the Department Of Homeland Security (DHS) on October 10th declared that travel restrictions to Cuba will be heightened, enforcement to end illegal travel and transport of goods and funds to Cuba will increase, and the DHS will expand programs that promote safe and legal migration from Cuba. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will increase the inspection of all travelers going to or coming from Cuba. Also, USCIS will aid the Department of State in processing the immigration of eligible Cubans for the “in-country refugee” program and the “Special Cuban Migration” program.

Also on October 10th, President Bush announced his plans to encourage a “free, democratic Cuba.” As part of those plans, the U.S. will increase the number of Cuban immigrants allowed into the U.S. each year and will increase restrictions for Americans traveling to Cuba. The U.S. will launch a campaign to help fleeing Cubans legally enter the U.S.

The President said he believes these initiatives will help Cuba become more democratic. By informing Cubans of the “routes to safe and legal entry” into the U.S., the Administration believes that those desperate to flee Cuba will not try to sail to the U.S. in unsafe and unstable boats. Also, by heightening restrictions on travel to and from Cuba, the U.S. will impede those travelers who go around the travel restrictions and “perpetuate the misery of the Cuban people” through their illegal tourism.

President Bush also presented the formation of a commission to plan for change, which will be headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and the Cuban-born Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez. This new commission will utilize government experts “to plan for Cuba’s transition from Stalinist rule to a free and open society.”

Some political observers believe that the goal of this announcement, aside from helping Cuba, is to help the President win the votes of Miami’s Cuban-American community, which could be crucial in the 2004 election. The President’s support in Miami decreased in July after Washington returned fifteen migrants to Cuba after being assured by the Cuban government that they would not be executed for hijacking a government-owned boat.