Word: cuban
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
During the rafter crisis last summer, more than 20,000 Haitians and 30,000 Cubans were intercepted at sea and delivered to hastily erected camps in Guantanamo. Among the refugees were 321 unaccompanied Cuban children, all of whom have since have been paroled to the U.S. But of the 356 unaccompanied Haitian children who ended up at Gitmo, only 22 have been admitted to the U.S., because they needed medical attention or had a parent already in the States. Since the island has officially returned to democratic rule, immigration officials say, Haitians don't qualify for humanitarian parole. Some...
...Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuban refugees cavort happily on the beach in a scene reminiscent of a Club Med. They have good reason to celebrate: soon they will be flying off to freedom in the U.S. Meanwhile, less than a mile away, more than 200 Haitian children lounge listlessly under drab green tents, seeking refuge from the harsh midday sun. Camp Nine, their home since last June, is a desolate patch of cactus-filled desert where the only sign of life is an occasional banana rat or iguana. A fence encircles the camp, which is guarded by American soldiers...
...When I heard that the U.S. was going to let 15,000 Cubans into the country and leave 450 Haitians in Guantanamo, I felt like someone had stuck me with a knife," says a 17-year-old boy. "This is a very cruel situation." (U.S. military officials will not allow the children to be quoted by name.) When Attorney General Janet Reno announced the new Cuban policy on May 3, dozens of furious Haitian teens first tried to organize a hunger strike with the younger children, then went on a rampage, pelting soldiers with rocks and setting tents on fire...
...week after announcing a new policy of forcible return of Cuban boat refugees, the Clinton Administration, true to its word, repatriated 24 Cubans who had been rescued...
Following secret negotiations with Cuba, the Clinton Administration announced the undoing of three decades of Cuban refugee policy. From now on, Cuban boat people will no longer be given special entry rights to the U.S., but will instead be returned to their homeland, where they will have to apply for admission to the U.S. through normal channels. As a humanitarian gesture, however (and in yet another policy reversal), most of the 21,000 refugees being detained at Guantanamo will be allowed to enter...