. >> reporter: every day, cubans cross this border bridge from mexico into laredo, texas. since 1966, the cuban adjustment act has guaranteed asylum to refuges fleeing the communist regime and qualify for a green card a year and a day and citizenship five years later. now they are afraid the thawing of diplomatic relations will stop that. this lady says how do i get here if they changed the law? it would have been impossible. most cuban refuges no longer try rafts in the florida straits. captures and currents are both risky. they fly to a latin american country like ecuador and make a trip on land through a half dozen other countries before reaching the texas border. 51,000 arrived here last year. 68% of them through laredo. >> it's a whole transnational human smuggling operation. >> reporter: this man studies cuban patterns. >> very organized and it's supposed to be the second most profitable illegal network after the illegal trade business. >> reporter: most head to miami. at this refuge resettlement office, we met andreas hernandez. his trip from cuba took eight months.