Cuban refugees who made carboat make it to America

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGBPSV6CL6E.html

 

Family Who Tried Floating Truck to U.S. Now in Miami Via Mexico

The Associated Press

Published: Mar 21, 2005

 

MIAMI (AP) - A Cuban family that twice tried to reach Florida with vehicles converted into boats has made it to Miami, this time coming overland via Mexico from Costa Rica, the family's lawyer said.

 

Luis Grass, his wife Isora Hernandez and their five-year-old son Angel Luis Grass Hernandez, entered the U.S. though the Texas-Mexico border on March 12.

 

They were held in custody in Brownsville, Texas until Sunday. They traveled to Miami on Monday after being released on parole for humanitarian reasons. They will be allowed to apply for permanent residence in 2006.

 

The Grass family's voyage to America began in 2003 when they and others tried to cross the Florida Straits aboard a bright green 1951 Chevy pickup, which Luis Grass had converted into a boat. They were intercepted by the Coast Guard and sent back to Cuba. The Coast Guard then sunk the Chevy-boat.

 

Under U.S. immigration policy, Cubans who reach U.S. shores generally are allowed to stay while those caught at sea are usually returned.

 

In February 2004 Grass made a second attempt to get to the United States illegally - this time aboard a floating Buick sedan powering another homemade boat.

 

Again, they were intercepted. This time the Grass family was taken to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo and the other would-be migrants aboard the Buick were returned to Cuba. The Buick was sunk.

 

"If he had to make a choice between the frustration of living in Cuba and the fear of dying at sea, he chose dying at sea," said Wilfredo Allen, Grass' family lawyer.

 

After interviews showed that the Grass family had a credible fear of persecution if they were sent home, the U.S. held them at Guantanamo until a third country, in this case Costa Rica, agreed to grant safe haven.

 

The family lived in Costa Rica until last month, making their way into Mexico and to Texas by bus and hitchhiking.

 

Allen said the Grass family will "begin the process of legalization," and Luis will apply for a work permit.

 

Allen said Grass' "greatest frustration was that he was stuck at sea and he was not able to land in Miami and drive up to the beach."

 

Their two boats:

 

[Guest Vitamin X]

That's awesome. I love hearing of all the crafty ways they make it to the States. My mom came in the original Mariel of 1979-1980, using the old raft technique, which sank but were close enough to American shores that the Coast guard came and helped them out and gave them asylum here.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Yet America sucks and everyone wants to get out...

[Mearl267 0]

"Under U.S. immigration policy, Cubans who reach U.S. shores generally are allowed to stay while those caught at sea are usually returned."

 

That is the dumbest thing ever. ALL of them should be returned. It's not fair to the rest of us.

 

I'm not happy these idiots made it over here safely at all.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah okay.

 

Keep in mind how your ancestors probably came to this country as well...

 

Unless of course you're not from the States, in which case you just have no fucking clue.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Somebody on this board actually SUPPORTS illegal immigration? Well, I guess it's different outside of the CE Folder.

 

Good for these guys anyway. That's a helluva story.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Cubans are kinda the exception to the rule. And besides, they have to cross water. Mexicans can hop on a truck that is being operated on land...

[Guest Vitamin X]

I don't support illegal immigration for other immigrants. Maybe it's just that I'm Cuban and it hits on a personal level, but here's the thing: Mexicans and a whole host of other illegal immigrants can get to the US by legal means. Cuban citizens are NOT ALLOWED to leave their country at all. It's like a giant Alcatraz with the communist system in place. The only way to leave is if you enter your name into a lottery they give permission to leave every year, and to get lucky by having your name chosen.. That is, unless the government doesn't hassle and/or kill you first for wanting to leave the country in the first place. So it's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of necessity for a better life, since the US is completely apathetic to doing anything about the tyranny and human rights violations that go on all the time there.

 

I don't support Mexican border jumpers though, since they do have the ability to get into the country legally, establish residency, and get their US citizenship. Cubans have no other choice but to get across 90 miles of shark-infested waters for freedom. To throw them back after making that sacifice is inhumane, considering the government can and has squashed any rebellion which pops up in the country and it's the least the neighboring Americans can do..

[Ted the Poster 0]

VX, I agree 99%. However...

 

So it's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of necessity for a better life, since the US is completely apathetic to doing anything about the tyranny and human rights violations that go on all the time there.

We already tried that somewhere else. Didn't turn out too well.

[Sideburnious 0]

Yeah I agree with Vit X too.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I can guarantee you the reaction to a US invasion of Cuba in Cuba would be infinitely more welcomed than the bullshit going on in Iraq. The people working with the tyrants in Cuba are all affiliated with the government; that is, as far as everyone I know in Cuba (which includes family members and their friends and the like) they wish for democracy but can't do anything to fight against the machine. In Iraq, our main problem isn't just ideological, it's a matter of theological differences as well as a clash of Western and Middle Eastern cultures. They aren't quite as willing to accept a Western form of government from the white devils as Cubans would be and are.

 

So, in other words, we went halfway around the world to give democracy to a people more willing to reject it than an island 90 miles from our shore which would have solved a tremendous illegal immigration issue we've been dealing with since the 60's- and a possible national security threat if 1963 was any indication.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

But Cuba's a communist country and Big Media/Academia say people love it there because they get free health care and rice cookers...

[Slayer 0]

Don't forget vintage cars

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Over there, they are considered new...

[2GOLD 0]

Oh, for the days of Sanford and Son being fresh new comedy.

 

And yeah, Cubans who make it to land should be allowed to stay. They put effort into it, made something like Mr. Wizard and risked death. Those from Mexico, either do the paperwork or get the hell out. You showed no effort!

 

And yes, return the ones who don't make it. They'll just have to be crafty and design something better. It's like the US version of a citizenship test. You make it to land, you have intelligience and drive so WELCOME! You don't make it, you didn't pass the test, I'm sorry you'll just have to try and take it again.

 

Seems fair to me.

[Guest Vitamin X]

But Cuba's a communist country and Big Media/Academia say people love it there because they get free health care and rice cookers...

Big Media/Academia also report on their human rights violations quite often, though they don't bashing their human rights records' NEARLY as much as China's, for obvious reasons.

 

You're also entitled to free education through high school (which has an extra year compared to the States, but then again they don't have Kindergarden so it evens out kinda), as well as college but for the scholarship you have to do a year or two of government service, which could be anywhere from working on military equipment to going out to the fields and rolling cigars. My dad did work on the military's radio equipment and my mom did the tobacco fields to get their degrees at the University of Havana.

[Guest cosbywasmurdered]

tin cans and string are considered radio equipment in Cuba Eh?

[Guest Vitamin X]

This isn't your treehouse, CWM.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Big Media/Academia also report on their human rights violations quite often...

They do?

 

You're also entitled to free education through high school ... as well as college...

 

And yet people still risk life and limb to reach the RACIST United States. Odd...

[Guest cosbywasmurdered]

This isn't your treehouse, CWM.

I know. My treehouse is much cooler. It has a slide.

[Ted the Poster 0]

 

I hereby call to order the first meeting of the "We Hate Legend-killing Whores" Club!

[Mearl267 0]

So it's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of necessity for a better life, since the US is completely apathetic to doing anything about the tyranny and human rights violations that go on all the time there.

Um, bay of pigs, anyone?

[Sideburnious 0]

 

I hereby call to order the first meeting of the "We Hate Legend-killing Whores" Club!

Is that Mayer in the top-left corner?

[Guest Vitamin X]

So it's not a matter of choice, it's a matter of necessity for a better life, since the US is completely apathetic to doing anything about the tyranny and human rights violations that go on all the time there.

Um, bay of pigs, anyone?

A failed invasion using poorly trained Cuban exiles to go back and fight does not come even NEARLY as close as an actual invasion to overthrow a communist regime like we've done in several other countries.

 

Castro winning at the Bay of Pigs only solidified his stronghold and gave him more fuel for propaganda to keep the machine running smoothly, while the US sat back, shrugged and said "Oh well".

 

But you've already proved to be completely fucking ignorant, so I doubt you would have known that.

[Shooting Star 0]

You know there are other ways for cubans to move to U.S.A without getting on the balsas(don't know how to say it in english) my mom is a lawyer here in Dominican Republic and she was working for this cuban in the states to get his family out of cuba legally and what she did was she traveled to Cuba stayed with them and pretended to be friend of theirs. One way for cubans to get out is if they have friends in some other country(not U.S obviously)who send a proper invitation t the cuban government so they let them get out by plane legally so the guy's family was allowed to come to Dominican Republic and my mom got them a Dominican passport and sent them over to Miami without any illegal thing.

[Shooting Star 0]

I hate illegal immigrants they make the legal ones look bad and what's even worse they make us the ones who stay in our country look worse! when I went to NY I went to this place called Washington Heights it was full of poor lazy dominicans it made me feel for the first time be ashamed to have been born in Santo Domingo I hate every single Dominican American for making us look like a damn no good poor country. Most of those baseball players I can't stand either for making up those stories about being so poor they had to play with sticks and milk cartons because they couldn't afford the bats and gloves. That's bullshit! The kids here do that because bats are not allowed at school so we get the broom sticks from the janitor and play since we love the sport so much and wanna be playing it whenever we can.

[Guest Vitamin X]

But that's still having to go through other places to get to the U.S., not to mention you have to know someone in another country just to get to the U.S.

 

To make matters worse in Cuba, they're now making it so that any tourists from the states that comes to Cuba are not allowed to interact with the locals and vice versa so the locals "don't get influenced by the imperialists".

[Shooting Star 0]

But that's still having to go through other places to get to the U.S., not to mention you have to know someone in another country just to get to the U.S.

 

To make matters worse in Cuba, they're now making it so that any tourists from the states that comes to Cuba are not allowed to interact with the locals and vice versa so the locals "don't get influenced by the imperialists".

Well my mom just did it for them in less than 2 months and it was much safer than going in the balsas(how do you say that in english anyways?) but I guess that makes it harder for the poorer cubans who can't pay for all that.

[Guest Vitamin X]

And what Cubans who don't work for the government really AREN'T poor?

 

And balsas in English is rafts.

[Shooting Star 0]

And what Cubans who don't work for the government really AREN'T poor?

 

And balsas in English is rafts.

Well this ones worked the government now that you mention it...some other cubans I've met said that their house had an Air conditioner which is something out of this world in cuba.