Reading Room Document

Powers Available in the Event of a Cuban Boatlift

This document is a memorandum responding to questions about the powers available to the President in the event of a Cuban boatlift. The conclusions reached in the document include the limitations on the President's powers to prohibit U.S. registered vessels from traveling to Cuba without a license, the Coast Guard's authority to seize and return vessels suspected of transporting illegal aliens, and the legal jurisdiction for prosecuting violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The questions presented for review include the possibility of returning American or foreign-flag vessels to their last port of call, the use of roadblocks to exclude cars from the Key West area, and the closure of ports in Southern Florida to high-risk vessels.

July 2, 1981