Man challenges Cuba travel ban

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Posted on Saturday, 07.25.09
Man challenges Cuba travel ban
An American is trying to get cited by U.S. Customs officials for making several illegal trips to Cuba in an effort to contest the U.S. travel ban on Cuba.
BY AMY TAXIN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- A U.S. citizen trying to challenge the ban on travel to Cuba on Friday bemoaned his inability to get arrested or cited -- even after having his passport stamped in Havana and bringing back Cuban memorabilia.

Mytchell Mora, a 39-year-old freelance entertainment news producer, said he told U.S. customs officials he broke the law after flying through Costa Rica home to Los Angeles early Friday.

Officials punched some information about him into a computer and sent him home without punishment, Mora said. They didn't even confiscate his Cuba T-shirt or postcards.

``I am just so surprised nothing happened to me,'' Mora, who lives in West Hollywood, said in a phone interview. ``What can you really do when you're saying, `take me to jail or give me a ticket,' and they do nothing to you?''

Mora hoped to get arrested or cited after his fourth trip to Cuba so he could challenge the country's travel ban, which he says discriminates against anyone who isn't Cuban American and punishes Cuba's people, not its government. Mora said he hopes he may still be cited so he can challenge the policy in U.S. courts.




Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1156799.html

[Lena inRI]

1. Translation=it's in the works already. . .good news

At long last, we have a Prez who sees through the bullshit policy we've had for most of my lifetime.

Ask any traveling old-timers above the age of 75 and they'll tell ya how a trip to Havana was as entertaining, if not more so,than Miami ever was.

Viva Cubanos!

[excess_3]

2. is any of this provable? .n/t

[harmonicon]

3. what an idiot - US citizens go to Cuba all of the time

He could/should have done a little homework. My brother went to Cuba some time in the 90's and brought back souvenirs, including a University of Havana T-shirt for me. What is discriminatory is the restriction on what people in the US are able to take DIRECT flights from the US to Cuba. There's nothing illegal about going there through another country. Supposedly spending US money there is also illegal, but next to impossible to prove, so it's ignored. When my brother came back to the US the person at customs said something like "You went to Cuba, didn't you?!" accusingly, but couldn't and didn't do anything about. The truth is that the supposed travel ban is in place to keep people from going there so that they'll remain ignorant about the country and keep believing all of the lies that our government and corporate media tells them about it.

[R Merm]

4. You can get fined for it

Traveling to Cuba can impose a $50,000.00 fine for spending money there and bringing back items. Prior to Bush this was largely ignored. Hence the "You went to Cuba, didn't you?". During the Bush years it was not ignored and US citizens who were found going were fined the 50 grand. They even started to request a list of US citizens on Canadian flights. I do not know if we have gone back to the wink wink nudge nudge times under Obama.

I was there this past New Years as part of a mission trip, we were able to fly from Miami and bring back Art, Literature and Music, no cigars or rum, pity they both were very good there. The people we met were very nice and fun to be with, they all were so hopeful that things will change under Obama, that I hope we do not let them down. The country has many problems, buildings crumbling, store shelves empty (including drug stores our group must have brought over 200 lbs of medical supplies) and those charming 1950's cars that are still driven not because the Cubans love them.

The Ban is in place to appease the 60 and 70 year old Cuban exiles in Miami, as a Country we are losing out on much trade and business opportunities with and within Cuba. Spanish Hotel chains are building 5 star hotels and resorts all over the island. Havana Club rum is a joint Cuban and French Venture, and even the Israelis have entered into a joint venture growing citrus.

[Billy Burnett]

5. Before calling people names and accusing them of not doing their "homework"

maybe you should do some.

I live in Miami. I can take a direct flight from here to Cuba 7 days a week. Problem is that if I do so, not being of Cuban origin and not having direct relatives there, I am subject to sanction under standing US law - which is that without OFAC permit it is a punishable offense to travel to Cuba and spend money there. Americans born here in the US of Cuban-American parents can travel to Cuba unfettered.

It is not legal under current US law for Americans or US resident aliens to travel to Cuba from a 3rd country - unless you or your parents are of Cuban origin and/or have direct relatives there.

Prosecution is up to OFAC and is somewhat selective/subjective, but there are fine notices still being sent out by OFAC. One might not be stopped reentering the US after Cuba travel (direct or via 3rd country) because most notifications of violation of US law on Cuba travel comes by mail - sometimes up to several years afterward. Often people discover they have been sanctioned when they try to renew their passport.

Cheers

[Gman]

6. Let him try to bring back some cigars

and see how fast they care.

[Judi Lynn]

7. People should ask themselves why they believe the US has tried to keep them out of Cuba.

If their government is as terrifying as it has been portrayed here by our media and our opportunistic politicians, why not let us go there to see for ourselves without fear of trouble with the US authorities?

Also good to ask oneself why it is Cuban "exiles" have been coming and going to and from Cuba all this time. What's the attraction, if they "fled" from Cuba in the first place?

[R Merm]

8. It is a very complicated issue

I am not Cuban or from Cuban descent, when I traveled there around this past New Years 1/3 of my group was Cuban or of Cuban descent, or a Cuban exile. First, I can not say anything negative about the Cuban people. They are wonderful, and the government has first started to open up restrictions on the Cuban people. Only recently they could not even stay at a tourist hotel, let alone enter one.

Even with such restrictions being lifted people who spoke with us openly about their lives and beliefs stopped talking when they noticed the video camera was on, and would only start again after it was turned off. We were also asked not to relay what they said to us, I am sorry but I can not give more details because I do not want to cause them trouble. This is not a reaction of a citizen from a free country.

The Island is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The weather is fantastic and I would go back in a heartbeat if I could.

It is very hard for the Cuban exiles. Many left very comfortable lives with property and family businesses behind to come to the US with nothing. And many of these people supported Castro over Batista. Some still have family on the island that they want to visit and help out by bringing dollars to them, all have memories and or ghosts they need to vanquish. One woman I was traveling with visted her mother's grave for the first time. All visited homes they grew up in, stores their parents owned, or even baseball parks they watched their first game at. When they left they never thought it would be for this long a time. They are going back now for family, both dead and alive, and to remember what they left behind.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Quite a few DU'ers have come and gone to Cuba over the years, maintain friends there,

relatives, in-laws, etc. One DU'er has spent time in Cuba teaching and doing volunteer work there, DU'ers from outside the United States have expressed total disbelief this country has maintained such a perverse view of the country and the people.

One Canadian DU'er, a remarkable personality who travels to Cuba regularly, used to get so angry at people with clear-cut right-wing bias trying to keep the lies in place about the island, she finally got tombstoned for speaking her mind so completely directly.

The people who ran from the new government immediately after the revolution were in many cases the very people against whom the people rebelled, and overthrew, and wanted OUT of their government, and not making the laws for their country. That was not even the first time Cubans have attempted to get the same grimey, greedy, racist bastards out of power. It's simply the revolution which succeeded.

If everything is you say, I'm afraid the MANY Du'ers who have already posted endless remarks about their time spent there, in many cases, very LONG stays, would have had to make those same claims, as well.

To the contrary, DU'ers who HAVE spent ton of time there know the U.S. public has been played but good by right-wing oligarchs who demand they are going to be the ones who make our Cuba policy for us, and our opinion has never been allowed to make a difference, when all polls have show for ages most Americans approve of normalizing relations with Cuba NOW, not after overthrowing them, or stealing their govenrnment, or putting the murderous, greedy idiots back in power, but NOW.

Some of these same pieces of scum, like Hillary's Hugo Llorens, and some pig Congresspeople, like the gusano-friendly right-winger Connie Mack are in Honduras this weekend trying to pump up the coup plotters who have seized control of Honduras' government after violently removing the elected President.

The day is coming that enough people will have finally moved into South Florida to have broken up the iron-fisted grip the Cuban reactionaries' have on Florida's politics, and Florida's electors, they will cease being powerful during Presidential campaigns due to the significant electoral power they have controlled, and ordinary American men and women will travel to Cuba and see first hand, in the twinkling of an eye, that we have ALL been played by our country's major grifters who have tried over 5 decades to keep us helplessly clueless about Cuba, and they were able to do this by exerting their influence in maintaining the travel ban, keeping us all away, while they freely came and went themselves.

It's their belief they can tell us anything and we have no choice but to accept it since we, travel banned, can't prove otherwise.

I've heard from too many people who LOVE Cuba and Cubans, who believe in the hard, hard work they've underetaken to create their new world without the deadly, sickly presence of some ugly parasitic people who moved to Miami and started stinking up the place there with their peculiar attitude of self-importance, comical sense of entitlement, and deeply repellent corruption. Their abuse of the Miami government, graft, vote stuffing, misuse of funds, violence have been nationally known for decades. The FBI even designated Miami as "America's Terror Capital."
,
Cold war yarns about modern Cuba just carry no weight with anyone who has heard from people who are very familiar with the place as it exists now. It won't be long until we find out for ourselves, and know who the liars have been all these years.

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