NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico Yuri Rodrguez had his paperwork filled out, his fingerprints scanned and a preliminary interview with immigration officials completed. The only thing left to do was to wait in line until he and another group of Cubans were allowed to enter the United States under a five-decade-old policy that gave preferential treatment to migrants from the communist island.

When I tried crossing yesterday morning, the law still applied, Rodrguez, 41, told HuffPost. Everything was ready.