Cuban protest targets cruises

Miami Herald ^ | Mar. 05, 2006 | LAURA MORALES

[twippo]

Members of Cuban exile groups gathered for a protest Saturday on Watson Island to flash signs and blare earsplitting trailer truck horns.

They had unlikely targets: rows of cruise ships. They wanted passengers on Bahamas-bound cruise ships to know they say the island mistreats Cubans who land -- and are detained -- on the island chain.

[wmileo]

The Bahaman Government can continue to kiss Castro's butt to their own detriment.

[magnieye]

My cousin and his daughter were two of the migrants detained in the Bahamian detention center.

They separated them and the 7 year old girl was with the general woman population. Luckily, the people detained aren't criminals and actually took care of the girl.

They kept being promised to be repatriated, but it wouldn't happen because a US group gives the Bahamian government $5K per month per person detained. This is a cash cow since they give them minimal food and the actual detention facility is deplorable. They are raking in about $500K a month for the detainees.

They only got repatriated after 4 months when my cousin was interviewed by a Miami radio station about the abuses. They were repatriated the following day.

[wmileo]

Thank you for sharing this story. I am determined to tell everyone I know who is likely to vacation in the Caribbean and the surrounding Islands to boycott the Bahamas.

[twippo]

It isn't just Cubans or this group of people; the Miami Herald has exposed how Bahamian immigration officials regularly abuse migrants in general, Haitians, Cubans, Jamaicans, etc.

[twippo]

Would this U.S. group be giving the money to reduce immigrants coming to U.S. shores?

[magnieye]

Actually,

Its a group who cares about the treatment the people are receiving. They complained and the Bahamian government said they did not have funds to care for them. So this group started funding them.

Well intentioned Cubans trying to help other Cubans.

[twippo]

O.K., I got the wrong impression; sorry for my cynicism. My mother came from Cuba as well. In the same vein as our resettlement policy for Cubans, I do think there should be an official policy for Chinese women facing forced abortion to get asylum, at least for the length of their pregnancies.