This number increased to about 4,700 during the same period in 1994. As the flow of rafters increased, President Clinton announced on  August 19, 1994, that the Coast Guard would no longer bring interdicted Cubans to the United States but would hold them at Guantanamo Bay. The President and the Attorney General indicated at that time that those Cubans taken to Guantanamo Bay would have no opportunity for eventual entry into the United States. This announcement reversed a 3-decade policy of welcoming Cubans seeking refuge into the United States. The U.S. The United States later began granting parole to certain categories of Cubans in the safe haven camps at Guantanamo Bay. These four categories became known as the “four protocols.”
On May 2, 1995, the White House Press Secretary announced that Cubans interdicted at sea would no longer be taken to safe haven at Guantanamo Bay but would be returned to Cuba where they could apply for entry into the United States through legal channels at the U.S. She also announced at that time that remaining Cubans at Guantanamo Bay—about 18,500 as of June 7, 1995—would be considered for parole into the United States, excluding those found to be ineligible for parole due to criminal activity in Cuba, in the United States, or while in safe haven and those with certain serious medical conditions. The U.S. Since May 2, 1995, most Cubans interdicted at sea have been returned by the Coast Guard to Cuba. Other organizations are also involved in Cuban migration operations at Guantanamo Bay. Costs Associated With Cuban Migration

We estimate that the total cost of the U.S. response to the Cuban exodus from August 1994 through fiscal year 1995 will exceed $497 million (see table 2). As of June 9, 1995, the Interests Section had approved 16,305 for entry into the United States. Sixty Cuban rafters had been interdicted and repatriated to Cuba as of that date, pursuant to the May 2 announcement that such individuals would be returned to Cuba. Conditions at the Guantanamo Bay Camps

While detention in safe haven camps is undoubtedly difficult, our review at the Guantanamo Bay camps indicated that living conditions were adequate. While we found no internationally accepted criteria for minimal refugee living standards, we noted that the U.S. Atlantic Command had developed standards for safe haven conditions based on inspection guidelines of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and standard military regulations and manuals’ requirements. 1 through 3.) 4). Travel From Cuba to the United States Is Being Delayed

Although by September 1995 the Interests Section will likely have processed for U.S. entry the 20,000 Cubans called for in the September 9, 1994, agreement as well as the 6,700 on the noncurrent immigrant visa preference list, it is unlikely that this number will travel to the United States by that date. The U.S. government repeatedly voiced its concern to the Cuban government about the exorbitant airfare. Scope and Methodology

We identified U.S. policies toward Cubans seeking U.S. entry through discussions with State, INS, and CRS officials and reviewing documentation such as agreements with the Cuban government, joint communiques, administration announcements of parole and safe haven positions, and pertinent legislation. To determine the processing capabilities of the Interests Section, we interviewed INS officials in Washington, D.C., and visited the Interests Section in Havana.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the U.S. government's actions to address the 1994 Cuban migration crisis, focusing on: (1) how U.S. policy has toward those seeking to leave Cuba has changed since that time; (2) the agencies involved with and costs to the government associated with the exodus of Cubans; (3) the capabilities of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana to process applicants seeking legal entry into the United States; and (4) the adequacy of living conditions at the Cuban safe haven camps at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) for over 30 years, fleeing Cubans had been welcomed to the United States; however, the U.S. government reversed this policy on August 19, 1994, when President Clinton announced that Cuban rafters interdicted at sea would no longer be brought to the United States and would be taken to safe haven camps at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with no opportunity for eventual entry into the United States other than by returning to Havana to apply for entry through legal channels at the U.S. Interests Section; (2) on September 9, 1994, the U.S. and Cuban governments agreed that the United States would allow at least 20,000 Cubans to enter annually in exchange for Cuba's pledge to prevent further unlawful departures by rafters; (3) on May 2, 1995, a White House announcement was released stating that: Cubans interdicted at sea would not be taken to a safe haven but would be returned to Cuba where they could apply for entry into the United States at the Interest Section in Havana, eligible Cubans in the safe haven camps would be paroled into the United States, and those found to be ineligible for parole would be returned to Cuba; (4) several U.S. agencies have been involved in implementing the U.S. policy regarding Cubans wishing to leave their country including the: (a) Department of Defense which will spend about $434 million from August 1994 through September 1995 operating the safe haven camps, (b) U.S. Coast Guard which spent about $7.8 million interdicting Cubans at sea from August 1994 to the present, (c) Department of Justice's Immigration and Naturalization Service and Community Relations Service which together will spend about $48.6 million for the Cuban migration crisis from August 1994 through September 1995, and (d) Department of State which will spend an estimated $7.1 million during this same period; (5) the U.S. Interests Section in Havana has been able to meet the workload of processing applicants seeking legal entry into the United States; (6) as of June 9, 1995, it had approved 16,305 Cubans for U.S. entry; however, not all those approved will leave Cuba by September 1995, the anniversary of the September 1994 agreement; (7) the Cubans' living conditions at the Guantanamo Bay safe haven camps are difficult but adequate based on GAO's observations at the camps; and (8) conditions in all camps generally exceeded U.N. inspection guidelines for minimal shelter, food, and water, but found no internationally accepted standards of what the living conditions should be at refugee camps.