The United States has a different set of immigration guidelines when it comes to Cuba. The United States will generally take political refugees from enemy states- such as Cuba or Iraq. But it will usually not take economic refugees: The fact that your country is poor and miserable does not mean that you will be allowed in. But economic reasons are almost always why people immigrate: the Irish did not flood into North America and Australia after the potato famine because the British were oppressive, though they were. They left because they were starving. Most people who flee Cuba do so because they want a better life, they want more money, better food, better housing. Political refugees, except in extreme situations, are uncommon, and tend to come from more well-off, educated classes.

With America's current immigration guidelines, if you are from a nation that may be politically repressive, such as Haiti, but is not an enemy nation, you are assumed to be an economic refugee, and almost always deported. If you are from Cuba, you are assumed to be a political refugee. The wet foot/dry foot policy, which takes its name from a Dr. Seuss book, and which has been American law since November 2, 1966, codifies this. Not all Cuban refugees are given asylum: You have to touch American soil. Dry foot. If you're a wet foot, found at sea, you are returned. This is a compromise position between those enemies of Cuba would like for the United States to take all Cuban refugees, even if found at sea, and those who think that our preferential treatment of Cuban refugees encourages economically based immigration.

Fairness has nothing to do with this. A particular Cuban or Haitian may seek asylum in the US for any number of reasons. The politically motivated wet foot/dry foot policy was primarily intended as a dig at Fidel Castro. It may actually work in his favor, though, giving Cuba a release valve. Fidel lets the very poor and discontent leave, and avoids political foment at home. He's even been known to send out criminals on rafts toward the US. The policy continues due in large part to the political power of the Florida Cuban community.