33 Cubans trying to enter US sent home

The Straits Times ^ | August 29, 2003 | The Straits Times

[The Bronze Titan]

MIAMI - The US Coast Guard said on Wednesday that it repatriated 33 Cubans caught at sea as they sought to flee the country to the US, most of them aboard an overloaded go-fast boat.

The Cubans were taken to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba, aboard a US vessel, the US Coast Guard said. The migrants were from two groups intercepted since Saturday, it said.

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On Saturday, a US Coast Guard vessel intercepted an overloaded go-fast boat with 31 migrants and three suspected smugglers aboard.

The suspected smugglers were detained and the migrants were taken to another coast guard vessel for repatriation.

Two Cubans travelling on a raft were intercepted on Sunday and were transferred to the same vessel as the other migrants. -- AFP

[AdamSelene235]

You can kiss Bush's support in Miami goodbye.

[Nachum]

So sad. Wonder if there were any "Elians" aboard.

[WoofDog123]

I am slow...what is the political motivation for this? These folks literally risk their lives from drowning, and are begin sent back to certain prison in a police state.

Why doesn't the bush admin allow them to land?

[tractorman]

Why don't they just come through Mexico like everybody else?

[Nachum]

It is the law: Wet feet, dry feet.

If they catch them in the water, they go back. If they make it to shore, they can stay. It's been that way for years.

[Nachum]

It's a longer swim-

[The Bronze Titan]

Yes. Our United States Coast Guard under the direction and policy of the United States executive branch is 'handing over' those people trying to escape Castro's prison island.

If the Castro regime catches you trying to flee over their 'water wall', they will shoot and/or try to capture you and put you in prison.

Imagine what would the opinion would be if the same were to have happened (i.e. U.S. / Nato / West German policy) when those escaping over the Berlin Wall had been handed over back to the East German border guards.

[TBP]

I thought Janet Reno wan't in office anymore.

Send them allback to the dictator, right, W?

[Wright is right!]

The story doesn't say how close los cubanos got to shore before being interdicted. The policy is that if they can make it to shore ("feet dry") they can stay. If they are stopped "feet wet" (before hitting shore) they are sent back. The Coast Guard is instructed to make "all diligent effort" to keep them from shore. There was some news footage not long ago showing a boat load of cubanos stopped by the CG about 100 feet from shore. Muchos Cubanos jumped overboard and made a swim for the beach. Those that made it got to stay, the CG took the rest back to Havana Fidelio.

Michael

[Pikamax]

If Bush allowed the cubans just to come over, there would be a mass exodus and he would lose the support he enjoys in central,north florida and elsewhere outside the tri-county area. Its not that simple as letting them just come over.

The Cuban exile community is too blame largely for the hostile reaction if Bush just let cubans come aboard. Before Elian they were arrogant, brazen, pushy,obnoxious about Cuba, after Elian where they didn't need the Media to make them look like crazy people, the reaction towards their cause got worse.

They somehow managed to make Castro and Cuba look like a very marginal issue, no one down here in Florida really cares about it.

[The Bronze Titan]

- "...Before Elian they were arrogant, brazen, pushy, obnoxious about Cuba, after Elian where they didn't need the Media to make them look like crazy people...

I presume you do not have any relatives living imprisoned in a dictatorship just 90 miles the U.S.

[The Bronze Titan]

- "...Before Elian they were arrogant, brazen, pushy, obnoxious about Cuba, after Elian where they didn't need the Media to make them look like crazy people...

I presume you do not have any relatives living imprisoned in a dictatorship just 90 miles the U.S.

[Pikamax]

The point is the way they went about trying to get support, just turned more people away from it, thats not even counting the numerous protests which died out after Elian,violence against those who didn't see it their way, verbal threats.

The perfect example of how not to rally people to a cause.

[The Bronze Titan]

I totally disagree with your characterization of the Cuban American reaction to the Elian mess.

From what I recall, the majority of Cuban Americans in South Florida came out and marched, held rallies, wrote articles, petitioned the Government, and held prayer vigils.

I don't recall any Cuban American shooting at anyone, causing physical violence, or engaging in riots.

In fact, Cuban Americans happen to be the most Pro-American, pro U.S. military, of any ethnic group that has come over here in the last 50 years.

This is evidenced by the fact that they have given the Republican party large majority support in U.S. Presidential elections since Nixon, and why all the top Cuban American elected officials happen to be Republican (not Democrats).

[Pikamax]

"From what I recall, the majority of Cuban Americans in South Florida came out and marched, held rallies, wrote articles, petitioned the Government, and held prayer vigils."

The hardcore cubans did, not a majority, even the day Elian was taken, the resulting "unrest" was basically in little Havana and no where else, which didn't sit well with the cuban exile leaders.


"I don't recall any Cuban American shooting at anyone, causing physical violence, or engaging in riots."


This is basically the overall history of what the exiles have done over the last 3 decades down here is what I am talking about. After Elian, demonstrations and rallies have been next to nothing.

[tractorman]

If we would “fix” the Castro thing, the Cubans wouldn’t be trying to escape and I’d probably be going there on vacation.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"If they catch them in the water, they go back. If they make it to shore, they can stay. It's been that way for years."

---

The law says that if Cubans reach the U.S., they get to stay. Before Clinton, the U.S. was interpreted by the Executive Branch to mean what it means everywhere else in our legal system, our maritime territorial limit (10 miles out to sea). However, Clinton wanted to buddy up to Fidel Castro, so he changed the interpretation and now Cubans actually had to step on land before they were deemed to be in the U.S. President Bush has been a brave leader on many fronts, but has been too much of a coward on the Cuba issue and has not started interpreting the law the right way.

I don't know exactly where this boat was captured, and if it was more than 10 miles from our coast the Coast Guard had the right to return the Cubans. But I wish the Coast Guard would have not intercepted them and let the Cubans reach freedom. What the Bush Administration is doing is like pushing East Germans back over the Berlin Wall into Communist tyranny.

Bush better think about this before he loses the Cuban vote once and for all. And without the Cuban vote, not only will he lose Florida, he will not be able to build upon his support among Hispanics.