Cubans try to 'drive' over Florida Straits (problems for Bush brewing in Miami)

The Miami Herald ^ | July 23, 2003 | JENNIFER BABSON

[Luis Gonzalez]

KEY WEST - Over the past four decades, Cubans desperate to reach the United States have crossed the perilous Florida Straits in just about anything that floats: Surfboards. Inner tubes. Homemade rafts.

But it's hard to top the latest entrant in the maritime scramble: A 1951 Chevy flatbed truck.

The green truck, tires still on, was mounted on a pontoon made of 55-gallon drums.

The makeshift vessel even sported a propeller, attached to the truck's driveshaft, and was cruising along at a leisurely eight miles an hour, driver behind the wheel, when it was spotted by a U.S. government plane 40 miles south of Key West July 16.

Cameron Hintzen, supervisor for the U.S. Border Patrol in the Keys, has seen his share of Cuban contraptions that have made the crossing. Successfully sealing a propeller to the driveshaft is challenging, and he has seen it done with everything from gaskets to rags.

''They are very creative people,'' he said.

Ingenuity, however, didn't translate to success. The U.S. Coast Guard took the dozen Cubans aboard the truck back to the island last weekend.

The Coast Guard, calling the truck a ''hazard to navigation,'' sank it.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Cuban migrants using a 1950s-era flatbed truck
turned into a raft attempt cross the
Florida Straits on July 16, 2003.

GREGORY WALD/COAST GUARD STATION KEY WEST

[Torie]

The U.S. Coast Guard took the dozen Cubans aboard the truck back to the island last weekend.

?

Great pic by the way.

[potlatch]

Poor people, even lost their truck! I think I would rather let the Cubans stay and live in freedom, than allow millions of Mexicans, who already live in a free country, sneak across the border and stay.

[basil]

I'm with you, Potlatch! Weren't we founded as nation for those trying to escape tyranny?

[WorkingClassFilth]

"Ingenuity, however, didn't translate to success. The U.S. Coast Guard took the dozen Cubans aboard the truck back to the island last weekend."

This is outrageous. Mr. Bush, you better get your priorities straight. You pay no attention to illegals pouring over the border and draining our system, yet you send men and women of courage back to a filthy commie prison - or worse. Amigo, you might want to rethink your policies.

The CG has no moral right, or legitimate claim to navigational hazards if they are aware of the craft and tracking it. Let them come. These are exactly the kind of people we want. Ingenuity, courage and a bitchin' cool truck besides. What the hell is wrong with the Coast Guard? Let 'em run the truck up on the beach and welcome them to America.

Maybe Chevy could even be there to offer them a contract for a cool new series of work truck ads...

[Texas_Dawg]

I think I would rather let the Cubans stay and live in freedom, than allow millions of Mexicans, who already live in a free country, sneak across the border and stay.

Not to mention that Cubans vote Republican 80% of the time.

[potlatch]

Yes we were, Basil!! I do feel bad when we send the Cubans back!

[Luis Gonzalez]

U.S. returns hijackers, guards to Cuba after promise of no executions

By Rafael Lorente
Washington Bureau

July 22, 2003

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday repatriated 12 Cubans who allegedly tried to commandeer a boat from Cuba to Florida, in a sign that the two antagonistic governments are willing to work closely to discourage illegal migration.

The 12 Cubans, and three security guards who allegedly were kidnapped during the incident, were returned to Cuba after Washington received assurances from Fidel Castro's government that, if tried and convicted, they would not be executed. At most, Cuban officials said, the 12 would receive 10-year jail sentences.

Havana hailed Monday's action. "I think it's something positive," said Miguel Alvarez, adviser to Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban National Assembly. "It puts out a message which varies from everything that had been done before."

But the decision was not well-received in South Florida, where Cuban-Americans frown upon negotiations with Castro's Cuba and typically support granting Cuban immigrants asylum in the United States. Many say Cuban government officials cannot be trusted to honor their promises, noting three Cuban hijackers were quickly tried and executed last April.

"This action makes the U.S. complicit in the fate of the returned refugees," Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, said in a statement. "This act of infamy in coordination with the Cuban tyranny is a condemnable monstrosity." Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, the other two Cuban-American Republicans from Miami, also condemned the return.

Six-day odyssey

Joe Garcia, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, blamed the return on the Bush administration and on Ros-Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balarts, whom he faulted for not having more influence with the White House.

"This is a betrayal by this administration," Garcia said. "And what it demonstrates is the impotence of our Republican congressmen within this Republican administration. When you sell yourself cheap, you get treated cheaply."

The 15 Cubans -- 14 men and one woman -- were taken by U.S. Coast Guard cutter to the port of Orozco at Bahia de Cabañas and turned over to Cuban authorities just after 10 a.m. Monday.

The return ended a six-day trip that started last Tuesday on a Cuban-government owned 36-foot vessel at the port of Boca de Nuevitas, about 340 miles southeast of Havana. Officials said the boat was taken from Cuba with the Cuban navy in pursuit. The boat briefly entered Bahamian waters before heading toward the United States. With the permission of the Cuban government, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel in international waters, 60 miles southeast of Miami. The boat was returned last week.

FBI agents and officials from the Department of Homeland Security interviewed the Cubansaboard a Coast Guard cutter and determined that they took the boat unlawfully and kidnapped the three security guards, a State Department official said. Another administration official said several of the Cubans waved machetes at Coast Guard personnel as they boarded the stolen vessel last week. Pepper spray was used to subdue them, the official said. Because they had committed crimes, they were not eligible for entry into the United States, officials said.

The decision to return the Cubans was made after a task force from the Departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security determined a case could not be made to try them for hijacking in U.S. courts, several officials said. It is unclear whether the incident was a hijacking, from a legal standpoint.

Because the Cuban-flagged boat was stopped in international waters, Washington would have to get consent from Havana under international law to try the Cubans in the United States for attempting to assault the Coast Guard crew, officials said.

"This was done after taking into account our obligations under international law, our migration accords with Cuba and our commitment to ensuring a coherent migration policy that protects our borders," State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker said Monday.

According to an administration official, the decision to return the Cubans came together quickly. Thursday afternoon, Cuban diplomats asked State Department officials why they could not be repatriated. They were told Washington was wary of returning them because of the April execution by firing squad of three hijackers who were caught by the Cuban navy.

That night, Cuban diplomats contacted the State Department and promised that the 12 would be tried but would receive sentences of no longer than 10 years.

"This was an unsolicited representation on their part," the official said.

Havana's assurances

The State Department then asked for written assurances and demanded that they be made public. The first written draft was in the hands of Bush administration officials by Saturday and, after revisions, was put forward as a formal diplomatic note by Havana that night.

"The fact is, a crime was committed," the official said. "The migration policy is safe, legal and orderly and only safe, legal and orderly."

On Monday, Cuba issued a statement reiterating that the 12 would be tried and, if convicted, would receive no more than 10 years in prison -- even if that required executive clemency to reduce their court-assigned sentence.

After the return of the Cubans was announced on Cuban television, an announcer read a statement from U.S. Interests Section Chief James Cason condemning hijacking.

Philip Peters, vice president of the Lexington Institute and a proponent of improving relations with Cuba, said Monday's repatriation makes it clear that hijacking is not the way to reach the United States.

"The desire here is to send the strongest possible signal to Cubans who might be thinking of hijacking a boat that there's no profit in it, that they won't make it to the United States," Peters said.

But Jo Anne C. Adlerstein, an immigration attorney in Newark for Proskauer Rose LLP, said the United States mishandled the situation. Adlerstein said the United States should have taken more time to determine whether those on board had a credible fear of persecution and were entitled to political asylum.

"We are now all of a sudden going to trust assurances from the Cuban government that these people will be treated leniently," Adlerstein said. "As far as I'm concerned, there's going to be blood on the hands of somebody."

A State Department official on Monday denied that the United States had negotiated away the due-process rights of the 12. "The Cubans have not said that they will serve 10 years," the official said. "They have said that the charges they face carry a sentence no longer than 10 years. They've made it public and we expect them to uphold it."

[potlatch]

Not to mention that Cubans vote Republican 80% of the time.

I wasn't even thinking about that, but you're right! You never responded to the "Hot Dawg", LOL!

[Luis Gonzalez]

There's trouble down here; the whole thing stinks of set-up.

The CANF just came out swinging, Joe Garcia (Executive Director CANF) said in an interview today that Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen had "sold this president" to the community, and that this was not acceptable from the administration.

The airwaves are burning up as well.

This is bad.

[daviddennis]

Ridiculous. We really do have some idiots in government :-(.

When you're this clever ... you deserve to make it across. Period.

D

[potlatch]

Something funny, and sad!

[FairOpinion]

''They are very creative people,'' he said.

---

And desperate. People don't understand how terrible things must be in Cuba, that drives so many people to risk their lives at a chance at freedom.

It was Clinton who changed the US policy towards Cuban refugees, and have them be hunted by the Coast Guard.

Bush needs to change it back.

[Charles Henrickson]

Must be Packer fans:

[WKB]

Something funny, and sad!

True Laugh or cry?

[Torie]

It actually does suck, except for the bit that the refugees "waved machetes" at the Coast Guard personnel. That is a discordant note. Maybe the refugees are bad actors. Decent folks would not do that.

[NonValueAdded]

Unbelievable! There should be some sort of point system for ingenuity. Nothing in the post about why this is trouble for Bush. For that matter, doesn't say which Bush - Jeb or GW - either. Is it anger that we sent the Cubans back? Please enlighten us.

But seriously, during the last great exodus, the rafts that made it to central Florida were pretty sturdy and showed some decent engineering similar to what you see in the truck picture - just not as large. There was a display of a sample of the rafts that was at the Melbourne airport for a while. Those were NOT sturdy craft. Even with something as substantial as the truck, put it in the context of an ocean voyage and you have to take notice.

I wonder if there is a website showing those rafts? It is worth lookinmg at from time to time to see just how precious our freedoms really are. Time for a Google search.

I can understand that US policy is to not encourage further attempts but to turn them back to Castro? If I was in the Coast Guard, that would be one order I could not obey. Just what the hell are we doing?

[StormEye]

Not everyone who leaves Cuba for the US is an
engineering genious or a saint.

[Torie]

The fact is, a crime was committed," the official said

Probably there was, but how was this determined (because Cuban authorities said so)? It appears that there was a lack of due process. Cuban authorities should have been invited to Miami to prove it.

[potlatch]

True Laugh or cry?

Both! I forgot to ask, but I assume the truck engine was turning the propeller??