Throughout American history, an asylum-related pattern has emerged where immigrants from a certain country or region seek entry to the United States at a singularly pronounced clip.

As developments across the centuries have well demonstrated, the reasons why an asylum spotlight should temporarily fall upon one group can be complex and varied.

Without failure, they are dire, and the response of the American people to them through humane and ethical immigrant policies has fostered global respect for the United States.

When people with urgent needs — and sometimes facing life-and-death issues — have legitimate faith that the American government will respond in a fair and compassionate way to their plight, they often repay that response in a manner that collectively nurtures and progressively strengthens the nation.

As we note on our immigration and asylum website at the Coughlon Law Firm, PLLC, in Phoenix, “the United States remains a beacon of opportunity for all freedom-loving people.”

A case in point, as noted in a recent article, is the present tick upward in asylum applicants seeking entry to the country from Cuba. That media focus reports that Cuban asylum seekers are on pace to enter the country at the highest rate in over a decade (even with the uptick, though, the number of asylum applicants is relatively small).

What officials say might surprise many people is the preferred point of entry. Stereotypical notions elevate Miami as a dominant entry point, by boat, but that has not been the case recently. In fact, Laredo, Texas, has been the arrival site of about 70 percent of all visa-less Cuban immigrants over the past fiscal year.

Asylum is always a “story,” infused with drama and debate and often featuring great courage and resilience in the face of forbidding odds.

It is also a process, most often marked by myriad and complex considerations. Persons with questions regarding this important and dynamic area of law can obtain answers and guidance from a proven immigration attorney.