WASHINGTON -- The State Department's decision to deny visas to 65 Cuban scholars seeking to attend a conference in Las Vegas drew protests Wednesday from Congress and academia.
Reps. William Delahunt, D-Mass., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to reconsider the decision to prevent the Cubans from taking part in the Latin American Studies Association annual meeting, which was beginning Thursday.
Cuban scholars have participated for years; about 100 attended last year.
"We do not believe that the way to encourage democracy in other countries is to close our border to their scholars," the lawmakers wrote. They said this is the first time in 25 years the government has blocked all invited Cuban scholars from the conference.
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"These Cuban scholars are experts in their fields. They do research, they have the data," said John Coatsworth, the center's director. "This is something our association takes very seriously -- when the government interferes with our capacity to interact with other scholars."
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