The State Department on Tuesday indicated it had no plans to meet with nine Latin American governments who have complained that the ability of Cubans to gain permanent U.S. residency just by arriving in the United States is contributing to the immigration crisis in the hemisphere.

Under the U.S. "wet foot, dry foot" policy, Cuban immigrants can remain in the U.S. once they reach the U.S., either by land or by sea. But in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the nine foreign ministers say that Cuba policy is causing problems for them, in the form of Cubans who arrive in their countries on the way to trying to enter the U.S.

Forty-five thousand Cuban immigrants came to the United States last fiscal year, passing through countries such as Nicaragua and Costa Rica to the United States. Their trip is eased not only by the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, but also by Central American governments.

"Many countries along the route grant Cubans free passage because their government does not respond to most requests for information about illegal migrants that would allow them to be deported," according to the Associated Press.

The foreign ministers of Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru, according to TelesurTV, sent the letter to Kerry to complain about the Cuba policy.

"The fact that nine foreign ministers have signed this letter shows the strength of the sentiment in Latin America that United States policy is creating a migration crisis in our region," said Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Guillaume Long told reporters Monday. "It's time for the U.S. to change its outdated immigration policies toward Cubans, because they are undermining regular and safe migration in our continent."

But on Tuesday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. will follow current law, and indicated there are no plans to discuss its Cuba policy with the governments. Kirby confirmed that the State Department received the letter, but had no meetings to announce with the Central American governments.

"We continue to encourage all countries to respect the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers, and to ensure that they are treated humanely," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "The Cuban Adjustment Act remains in place and 'wet foot, dry foot' remains U.S. policy regarding Cuban migration."

Some of the nine governments on the letter have been singled out as contributors to the immigration crisis on the southwestern U.S. border. Immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala in particular have been flooding the U.S. border for the last few years, and caused a humanitarian crisis when the surge hit new highs in 2014.

The arguments from the Latin American governments have some support in Republican circles. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a son of Cuban immigrants, has argued to change the policy in light of Obama's decision to restore ties with the Castros.

"When you have people who are coming and a year and a day later are traveling back to Cuba 15 times a year, 12 times, 10 times, eight times, that doesn't look like someone who is fleeing oppression," he told the Associated Press last year.