2 From Cuban Truck-Raft Get Chance at U.S. Visas

[Judi Lynn]

2 From Cuban Truck-Raft Get Chance at U.S. Visas
The Associated Press
Published: Oct 8, 2003




HAVANA (AP) - Two of the 12 people who converted a 1951 Chevy pickup into a boat in a failed bid to reach Florida have been granted interviews giving them a chance to get U.S. visas, one of the men said Wednesday.
"At least this an option we have," Ariel Diego told international journalists. "The possibility still exists."

Diego said he and Luis Grass, owner of the bright green truck, received letters Tuesday from the U.S. Interests Section inviting them to interviews on Dec. 3.

Such interviews are no guarantee of a visa, but the two at least have a chance.

The American mission's Refugee Program in Havana earlier informed the rest in the group they did not meet the necessary requirements for political refugee status. (snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1008visas,0,4614291.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[Mika]

1. If they had touched US soil

Because of the US's "wet foot/ dry foot" policy for Cubans only and the US Cuban Adjustment Act, IF they had made it to US soil illegally ALL of them would have been granted entry, instant work visa, instant green card qualification, instant sec 8 assisted housing, instant social security, instant welfare, and more, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MOST DID NOT QUALIFY FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION, ALL WOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY WITHOUT ANY BACKGROUND CHECK.

As the story reveals, there are legal methodologies for over 20,000 Cubans to immigrate legally to the USA every year, but legal immigration requires a criminal background check by the US interest section in Cuba. Cubans who arrive in the USA illegally bypass such a criminal background check but are granted entry and release into Miami's community as well as being granted access to all of the aforementioned perks.

No other immigrant group is offered such perks, and illegal entrants from just about every other country in the world are deported, but they still pour into the USA despite the fact that they are not offered any perks or privileges that Cuban illegals are.


This is a shameful and duplicitous policy that must come to an end.

[Say_What]

2. Politics as usual to appease the anti-Cuba fanatics and garner votes

Amazing how such a small group of people can control the White House--Dems and Pukes alike both kowtow to these cretins.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Mika]

3. DUers too

Unbelievably, there are Cuban exile huggers/ castrophobes here on DU who support the illegal immigration of unqualified Cuban criminals and felons - who can bypass the legal methods via "wet foot/ dry foot" because they would not qualify for legal immigration visa after a criminal background check done by the US gov.
:crazy:

[Say_What]

4. I think the gusano express just pulled in

Looks like it from these posts on this thread about innovation in Cuba.

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=157904>

I remember when the Elian fiasco was going on that Armando "the pig" Gutierrez, spokesman for the Miami distant relatives, actually had a website to recruit people to post on message board. They particularly targeted the CNN Cuba-US Relations board and said it at their website. :wow:

My guess is that because so much opposition to the embargo is growing so quickly that the same will/is happening here. ;-)

[Judi Lynn]

5. You're right.

That had all the markings, AND the same tone of a charter busload of gusanos, ready to kick anti-travel ban, anti-embargo butt! (They're going to have more than they can handle, eventually, since a majority of the U.S. citizens support dropping the travel ban and the embargo already!)

I've seen their endeavors elsewhere. You are aware that they NEVER bring facts, they NEVER bring links to creditable sources, they DO bring charges and attacks on other posters.

[Mika]

6. WOW

That "Cuba is a country of inventors, innovators" is an eye opener thread, although not fully representative of DU for sure, but scary still.

[Say_What]

7. the article was great too. Great examples of the results of the embargo

What most posters missed was how resourceful the Cubans had to become in order to save their country and dig their economy out of the hole.

On Free Speech TV they sometimes run a documentary about what the Cubans did with bikes in the early 1990s after the USSA dissolved. With no gas for cars or buses the Cuban government bought 1,000,000 bikes from China (the largest order ever). Chinese bikes are not the greatest so the Cubans rebuilt them and everyone was able to get around. It is a great documentary that underscores how creative and resourceful they are. The coco taxis are another. Cuba's National Association of Inventors and Innovators fair is a perfect example of what living under a 40+ year embargo has created in a country that refuses to bow to Uncle Sam. Viva Cuba!!

From the article:

...Inventar - or to invent, a broad concept in Cuba meaning doing something new or different to survive, quickly became one of the most used words on the island. And Cubans began digging their economy out of a hole.

Membership in the inventors' association jumped from 88,000 in 1990 to 560,000 today. That, Suarez said, shows workers' commitment.

"People are more motivated than ever," he said.

Association members this year submitted 1.2 million ideas for the group's inventors' contest. Some 39,000 were deemed new, Suarez said, and the creators received modest monetary awards.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/world/6970920.htm

---

To give readers an idea of the degree to which the US has pursued its objective to overthrow the sovereign nation of Cuba, here's a recap of what they call "Cuban Democracy Act", aka the Torricelli Act, which was said to be the vehicle that would end the Cuban government in a matter of weeks:

<clips>
...While many point to Cuba's dependence on the socialist bloc for the bulk of its food imports as a factor that led to the food crisis, few know that the United States intentionally exploited Cuba's increasing dependence on food imports from U.S. subsidiaries following the collapse of the socialist bloc by passing the Torricelli Act. In 1992 for instance, at the height of the crisis, the U.S. government threatened U.S. subsidiaries in Argentina, Cargill SACI and Compania Continental CACINF, with sanctions, and blocked the export to Cuba of $100,000,000 worth of wheat, soy, peas, and lentils.

http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/cuba/foodAndMeds/background.html

[loudnclear]

8. The ones sent back must be black Cubans

The ones that were allowed to stay, I bet, are Cuban Jews when the truth is known.

[Say_What]

9. Since the Jewish population in Cuba is only about 1,500

I doubt it. They immigrate (legally) to Israel.

<clips>

...Today, not more than 1,500 Jews live in Cuba,two-thirds of them in Havana, and the populationstruggles to match each death or emigration with abirth or conversion.

Young people go to Israel

Samuel Zagovalov, 53, the community butcher, hasseen one of his own sons emigrate to Spain, andanother, more recently, to Israel. Within the pastfive to six years, Jewish leaders say, about 600mostly young Cuban Jews have made their way toIsrael, under an emigration agreement negotiatedquietly between the two nations.

"The youth we have almost all go to Israel, so whatwe have left is the old people," Zagovalov says."But the community is still alive."

http://www.jewban.org/newart0805.htm

[morebunk]

10. Most of them left Cuba when Castro took over and settled in Miami...

read your history. Start with Myron Lanksy. (sp)