Vote on Tuesday.
Do the right thing.
Posted on 11/02/2002 6:05:27 PM PST by CHACHI
Coast Guard repatriates 16 Cuban migrants in four days By The Asssociated Press www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/2002/11/01/news/4423194.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
MIAMI - The U.S. Coast Guard returned home four Cuban migrants Friday, increasing the number of Cubans repatriated over the past four days to 16. The Coast Guard cutter Metompkin intercepted the most recent group after their small rustic boat was intercepted 25 miles northeast of La Isabela, Cuba. Six Cuban migrants and a dog were repatriated on Tuesday after being rescued from a vessel 48 miles north of Matanzas, Cuba. Six others were sent back on Wednesday after their raft was sighted by another boat 25 miles southeast of Key West. All three vessels were destroyed as hazards to navigation. The 16 migrants, who received food, water and any needed medical attention, were interviewed by Immigration and Naturalization officials before they were sent back. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AFTER 9/11: ALL UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS MUST BE REPATRIATED, NO EXCEPTIONS.
The plight of 200 Haitian migrants who were detained after jumping from a grounded freighter off Miami this week has become a high-profile issue in Florida.
As an American, Cuban born, I believe to share the feelings of the majority in this subject.
Although it is painful to see people risking their lives in trying to reach the United States from Cuba, Haiti and Mexico, and ultimately repatriated, this practice must not change for obvious reasons: It is not safe for the citizens of the United States. The terrorist act of September 11, 2001 changed our priorities.
Still, there are some unfair comparisons made by the liberal left, and those like former Attorney General Janet Reno and Rep. Carrie P. Meek, call upon the media to confuse and divide, using lies or half-truths to gain political momentum desperately needed in this election where the majority of U.S. citizens trust and are overwhelmingly behind the Bush Administration.
EXCERPTS: Former Atty. General Janet Reno. Under President Clinton, Ms Reno presided over the most inept and corrupt Justice Department of the 20th century.
Rep. Meek is a member of the DSA. The Democratic Socialists of America, advocates an authoritarian political system that is antithetical to American Constitutional principals. This poses a major contradiction for an elected Congressman/woman who also happens to be a member of such an organization. Affiliation, therefore, with an organization that advocates a political system that blatantly contradicts the Constitution has the effect of eroding faith and trust in our government, society, and the rule of law.
Let us review some facts: 1. Haitians from ChouChou beach, on Haiti’s northern coast, planned an escape to Florida, where many already had relatives. 2. On October 23, 2002 more than 200 boarded the 50-foot boat. Their voyage would cover more than 600 miles. 3. Seven days later the boat ran aground Key Biscayne, Florida. The migrants jumped into the water and swam the last few yards to shore. 4. INS officers arrived. All of the Haitians were detained. They now await their asylum hearings.
COMPARISONS: APPLES TO APPLES, PEARS TO PEARS. 1. Haiti’s closest neighbor is the Dominican Republic, next is Puerto Rico. Unlike Haiti, that is the western part of the island of Hispaniola, and the Dominican Republic the eastern, the island of Cuba is surrounded by water, and its closest neighbor is United States, 90 miles away. 2. Unlike Haiti that permits its citizens to build a boat, that practice is not allowed in Cuba. Anyone attempting to build a boat is punished. 3. Unlike Haitians that leave their country for economic reasons, Cubans fleeing the totalitarian oppressive regime take to the seas seeking freedom and justice. 4. Unlike Haitians that are migrants, Cubans that make it to U.S. soil, by law are granted asylum as refugees.
The above prepared and written by Chachi Novellas-Bengochea FOR FREEDOM & JUSTICE GROUP http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ForFreedomandJustice
EXCERPTS FROM:
HAITI *** http://travel.state.gov/haiti.html *** COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Haiti is one of the least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere, and it experiences a high level of civil and political unrest.
CRIME: There are no "safe areas" in Haiti. Crime, already a problem, is growing. The state of law and order is of increasing concern, with reports of armed robberies and break-ins, kidnappings, murders and car hijackings becoming more frequent. The police are poorly equipped and unable to respond quickly to calls for assistance. Criminals have kidnapped, shot, maimed and killed several U.S. citizens in recent years. Kidnappings for ransom, in particular, are an emerging problem and several U.S. citizens have been victims of recent kidnappings.
http://www.electionworld.org/election/haiti.htm Executive: President: Jean Bertrand Aristide (2001) FL Prime minister: Yvon Neptune (2002) FL The president is elected for a five year term by the people. The 1987 constitution, currently in effect, was modeled on those of the United States and France.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761576153 Haiti, independent republic of the West Indies, occupying the western third of the island of Hispaniola. Haiti is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the Dominican Republic, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the Windward Passage, which separates it from Cuba. Its area is 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq mi). Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and largest city.
REPUBLIC OF CUBA *** The sole communist country in Latin America ***
EXCERPTS FROM: ***
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2886.htm *** Government Type: Communist state; current government assumed power by force January 1, 1959. Independence: May 20, 1902. Political party: Cuban Communist Party (PCC); only one party allowed.
www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/fs/2001/fsjulydec/4931.htm HUMAN RIGHTS As the State Department Human Rights Report documents, Cuba remains a repressive regime. The Cuban Government continues to intimidate, detain, and arrest dissidents and human rights activists. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in Cuban jails.
www.state.gov/www/regions/wha/cuba/democ_act_1992.html TITLE XVII -- CUBAN DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1992 The Cuban people have demonstrated their yearning for freedom and their increasing opposition to the Castro government by risking their lives in organizing independent, democratic activities on the island and by undertaking hazardous flights for freedom to the United States and other countries
http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/fs/2001/2558.htm U.S. - Cuba Relations The United States recognized the new Cuban government, headed by Fidel Castro, on January 7, 1959. However, bilateral relations deteriorated rapidly as the regime expropriated U.S. properties and moved towards adoption of a one-party Marxist-Leninist system. As a result, the United States established an embargo on Cuba in October 1960 and broke diplomatic relations the following January. Tensions between the two governments peaked during the April 1961 "Bay of Pigs" invasion and the October 1962 missile crisis.
The 1990s witnessed another migration crisis that set back U.S.-Cuban relations. When demonstrations fueled by food shortages and prolonged unannounced blackouts erupted in Havana in August 1994, the Cuban Government responded by allowing some 30,000 Cubans to set sail for the United States, many in unsafe boats and rafts, which resulted in a number of deaths at sea. The two countries in September 1994 and May 1995 signed migration accords with the goal of cooperating to ensure safe, legal, and orderly migration.
On February 24, 1996, further worsening relations, the Cuban military shot down two U.S. registered civil aircraft in international airspace, killing three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident. The unlawful and unwarranted attack on two unarmed U.S. civilian aircrafts resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario M. de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Immediately after this brutal act, and in response to this violation of international aviation law, Congress and former President Clinton passed the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, also known as the Libertad Act. The legislation, among other provisions, codified the U.S. trade embargo into law and imposed additional sanctions on the Cuban regime.
In another area of concern, the U.S. Government monitors the possible use by narcotraffickers of Cuban airspace and territorial waters for the transshipment of drugs from South America to the United States. Additionally, Cuba continues to provide safe haven to fugitives from the U.S. justice system.
As President Bush said in an address to Congress on September 20, 2001,"Our war on terror begins with al-Qaida, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated."
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c104:1:./temp/~c104UOTPFb:e12706: Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. The purposes of this Act are— (1) to assist the Cuban people in regaining their freedom and prosperity, as well as in joining the community of democratic countries that are flourishing in the Western Hemisphere;
SEC. 109. AUTHORIZATION OF SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS. (a) AUTHORIZATION- Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including section 102 of this Act), except for section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394-1) and comparable notification requirements contained in any Act making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs, the President is authorized to furnish assistance and provide other support for individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support democracy-building efforts for Cuba, including the following:
(1) Published and informational matter, such as books, videos, and cassettes, on transitions to democracy, human rights, and market economies, to be made available to independent democratic groups in Cuba.
(2) Humanitarian assistance to victims of political repression, and their families.
(3) Support for democratic and human rights groups in Cuba.
(4) Support for visits and permanent deployment of independent international human rights monitors in Cuba.
SEC. 113. EXPULSION OF CRIMINALS FROM CUBA. The President shall instruct all United States Government officials who engage in official contacts with the Cuban Government to raise on a regular basis the extradition of or rendering to the United States all persons residing in Cuba who are sought by the United States Department of Justice for crimes committed in the United States. ********************************************************
“Only oppression should fear the full exercise of freedom” --- José Martí
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But maybe not... sounds like another mindless "zero tolerance" policy at work...
How do you determine that six Cubans on a raft are "immigrants who flee tyrants" as opposed to criminals, TB/AIDs patients or subversives being deliberately planted in the United States by Castro just by looking at them?
Send them all back. Our immigration laws exist for the protection of the American people. That should be our top priority. Enforce them.
I see that the press is starting to refer to these invading Haitians as "refugees" now. What BS.
This is what Kathleen Parker (Orlando Sentinel) has to say about this onslaught:
No one running for office dare utter these unspeakable truths. It's un-American. We were all immigrants once upon a time. Every schoolchild knows the script by heart. But immigration laws exist for a reason, and we are a land of laws first. In order to remain a country to which people want to immigrate, we have to balance charity with wisdom.
The notion that we should absorb each and every refugee-choked boat that runs aground off Key Biscayne reminds me of the airline captain's instructions to passengers should an emergency occur. When the oxygen masks drop down, adults are told to strap on their masks before helping children and helpless others. If we aren't careful with our borders, there will be no adults left to distribute the oxygen. (Entire column)
Pitch 'em all out....immediately. Cubans included. Mexicans included. Canadians included.
The fact that this batch of invaders made it within 50 miles of our shores shows us just how incompetent our government is. It's a complete embarrassment.
Who May Get SSI On Or After August 22, 1996
< SNIP >
Cuban or Haitian entrants as defined in section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 may be eligible for seven years from the date their status was granted.
< SNIP >
Certain other noncitizens may be eligible for seven years after:
the date of admission as a refugee under Section 207 of the INA;
the date granted asylum under Section 208 of the INA; or
the date deportation is withheld under Section 243(h) of the INA (as in effect prior to April 1, 1997), or the date removal has been withheld under section 241(b)(3) of the INA.
Poor dog.
Boy, I'll say. Well at least he didn't get sent to Mexico. He'd be a taco by now.
Do the right thing.
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