CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILD IMMIGRATION AND CUBAN IMMIGRATION

Acceptance of Central American  (Guatemala, Honduras, and E. Salvador) child immigrants for processing owes to:
U.S. law allows Mexican minors to be sent back promptly, although there are some steps those children can take to try to remain in the United States. A 2008 victims trafficking law [William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 that passed both houses unanimously.] requires that children from countries not bordering the United States, including those in Central America, be given added legal protections before they are deported. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/10/us-usa-immigration-idUSKBN0FF27Y20140710)

Many now are eager to ditch the 2008 law, and make it more like how we treat Mexican children.  Interestingly, conservative columnist George Will thinks we should keep them:
"My view is that we have to say to these children, 'Welcome to America. You're going to go to school and get a job and become Americans,'" Will said. “The idea that we can't assimilate these 8-year-old criminals with their teddy bears is preposterous." (https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/1477de74f088e21e)

Cuban immigrants (estimated to be around 825,000 over the years), for example, have a special status as since 1995 there is no such thing as an illegal Cuban immigrant:
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/06/19/hispanics-of-cuban-origin-in-the-united-states-2011/
Cuban immigrants history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_American


Unlike most Hispanics, Cuban immigrants tend to be Republican since the failed Bay Of Pigs invasion when many Cuban immigrants blamed a lack of air cover for failure of the invasion on John Kennedy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_American)

When was the largest wave of immigrants from Cuba to the United States?

1959 – 1960 – 250,000 Cuban immigrants arrived
1965-1973 – 300,000 Cuban immigrants arrived
1980 – 125,000 Cuban immigrants arrived
Present Immigration continues at a high rate

(http://www.energyofanation.org/Waves_of_Cuban_Immigrants_6_29_06_3_51_PM.html; http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/06/19/hispanics-of-cuban-origin-in-the-united-states-2011/ )

Since a 1995 amendment to the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, there has been a "wet foot, dry foot" policy on Cuban immigration.  If caught at sea they are returned to Cuba, if they can step on U.S. soil they are legal immigrants.  It seems, however, if an immigrant is caught at sea can convince the agents they are refugees, they may be allowed in.
(http://immigration.about.com/od/immigrationlawandpolicy/a/U-S-Allows-Cuban-Migrants-Different-Treatment.htm)

Although it is a rather old account, a very interesting documented study is: http://latinamericanstudies.org/exile/cubans.pdf