The U.S. and Cuba are in disagreement over U.S. immigration policies as the first session of high-level talks between the two countries to possibly restore diplomatic ties between the Cold War rivals began Wednesday.

Americans noted last year that they will continue to grant a safe haven to Cubans that only they have access to as these special protections are not offered to other nationalities. However, with this policy, Cuba has complained that Cuban doctors are flying to the U.S. causing a shortage in their own country. Cuba has dubbed it as a "reprehensible brain drain practice".

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The talks will last for two days and it will include discussions about diplomatic relations, full trade and travel ties, and immigration issues. The talks will continue on Thursday and these two days of meetings are the first talked since Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama announced last year, December 17, that the two countries will be restoring their ties. Washington has broken of the diplomatic ties since 1961.

Although the two countries are expecting a respectful and collaborative meeting, they are not assuring such as they have different views on immigration. According to the figures presented, 20,000 Cubans are given visas annually and 25,000 more travel to other parts of the world without visas but were still welcomed in the United States due to the Cuban Adjustment Act.

The law, which is also called wet foot/dry foot, says that Cubans who are stopped by the law enforcement of the U.S. while at sea should be returned to Cuba. However, Cubans who step foot in the country are already allowed to stay. Cuba is not agreeable to the law as they say it promotes illegal immigration, dangerous journeys, and even people-trafficking.

The head of the Cuban team, Josefina Vidal, said that the ongoing policy of the U.S. has violated their bilateral agreement to promote, legal, orderly, and safe immigration.

Obama has noted that he will remove the economic sanctions against Cuba that has been running for 53 years now regarding the trade embargo in the island. Obama has again discussed this during his State of the Union address on Tuesday saying that the policy has to end as he explains that if something being done does not work for 50 years, it's time to try something else. 

TagsCuba, Obama, immigration, diplomacy ties, economic sanctions, wet foot/dry foot