'Car-boat' case a dilemma for president

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Tue, Feb. 10, 2004

IMMIGRATION
'Car-boat' case a dilemma for president
The fate of Cubans who rigged a car into a makeshift boat has put President Bush in another political bind with exiles.
BY PETER WALLSTEN
[e-mail]

The case of the Cubans who rigged an old Buick to cross the Florida Straits in their quest for freedom -- but who could face being returned to the island -- has put President Bush back in a political bind with exile leaders just nine months before the election.

The pressure mounted Monday as a federal judge deferred ruling on whether he has jurisdiction to intervene in efforts to bring three of the migrants into the country. Everyone remained in limbo aboard a Coast Guard ship, though it appeared that eight others were at risk of being sent back to Cuba at any moment.

''It's not an easy situation,'' conceded state Rep. Gaston Cantens, a Cuban-American lawmaker who is on the president's reelection team in Florida. ``It makes all of us uncomfortable, and we certainly want anyone that is genuinely seeking freedom to be able to accomplish that.''

The Buick case mirrors a similarly high-profile attempt last year by three of the same refugees to reach Florida aboard a floating Chevy pickup. That journey was cut short when the Coast Guard sank the truck and sent the Cubans back to the island, fueling criticism from some exile circles that the administration had not followed through on promises to revamp immigration policies.
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/7915817.htm

[Moderator]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=355555