Why are cubans exempt from the safe 3rd country rules?

The Coffee Shop
1

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Cuban+defector+describes+escape+from+Vancouver/6051957/story.html

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/stca-etps-eng.html#fm-ex

I get one player has family in the US and is exempt but why do Cubans get a pass on this rule?

2

Second article talks about it a little- in real life scenarios, defecting athletes from commie countries are essentially always allowed to stay in North America because they’re classified as being at high risk of danger if they’re returned to their native country and here it’s combined with the U.S. Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996. Not the first time it’s happened either. I think the Cubans lost half a baseball team to defections when the Pan Am Games were in Winnipeg, among many athlete defections there, and a lot of those guys ended up on US teams not too long later.

3

“why do Cubans get a pass on this rule?”

Why not just question American policy on Cuba period. The USA is the only country in the world with a policy towards Cuba as if its still 1962 and is the only country in the entire world that bans private citizens from visitng Cuba.Why - all for a few votes in Miami.