. >> 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 to reach miami on make-shift rafts in the florida straits. captures and currents are both 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 c