New York, Dec 21 (EFE).– The United States should put an end to immigration policies that make it easier for Cubans to leave their island and come to live in this country, The New York Times said in an editorial.

For the newspaper, these regulations amount to “a Cold War relic that is hindering the normalization of relations between Washington and Havana.”

“Congress should repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act, a 1966 law that created an expedited mechanism to admit Cubans at a time when the United States was seeking to undermine a Soviet ally,” the editorial says.

The Times believes the law has helped human traffickers in Latin America and has created problems in countries where they operate, from Ecuador to Mexico.

The daily also notes that the system has been used by Cuba as “a pretext to impose strict controls on its people and prevented the American government from conducting the type of thorough security vetting that all other immigrants receive.”

Fearing that the thaw in relations between the two countries will bring an end to this policy, tens of thousands of Cubans have hurried their attempts to reach the U.S. this year, creating among other problems a crisis in Costa Rica, where migrants by the thousands have been left stranded after Nicaragua refused to let them cross its border to continue their journey northward.

According to The Times, that situation highlights “the absurdity of America’s policy.”

The newspaper believes that if Congress fails to act, President Barack Obama should negotiate a new immigration pact with the Havana government.

That pact, the editorial says, should guarantee that Cubans arriving in the United States, who are unable to prove they are at risk of persecution back home, can be returned to the island.

The Times also urges Washington to end a program that encourages the desertion of Cuban doctors and civil servants working abroad.

In exchange, Cuba would have to accept the return of thousands of Cubans deported by the United States after being convicted of some crime, the editorial says.

The paper recalls that the Cuban Adjustment Act is also criticized by members of the Cuban opposition, who believe it further slows the reluctant political change in their country.

The New York Times says there is no justification for the special treatment the U.S. continues to give Cubans, particularly considering the “harsh way the United States typically treats Central Americans, including minors, many of whom are fleeing for their lives.” EFE