Sent back to Cuba

Sent back to Cuba
OUR OPINION: FAMILY INTERCEPTED AT SEA DESERVES CHANCE FOR U.S. VISA
Posted on Wed, Mar. 12, 2008

Even among many heartrending stories of Cubans fleeing the island, the
case of Silvia Yanelis Véliz Querol is noteworthy. She and her husband,
both deaf mute, were jailed in Cuba after U.S. Coast Guard cutters
repatriated them and their two children last month. Now U.S. Rep.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, is asking that the U.S. Interests Section
in Havana investigate the case and interview Ms. Véliz Querol for a U.S.
visa. These steps are well merited.

U.S.-Cuba migration accords stipulate that repatriated Cubans are not to
suffer reprisals for attempting to leave the island illegally. The U.S.
government also said it would monitor repatriations to Cuba. In this
case, however, it appears that Ms. Véliz Querol has been subjected to
government harassment, if not persecution, for quite some time. For
instance, Ms. Véliz Querol reportedly has a 12-year-old son with a
mental disability who was institutionalized against her wishes since he
was a baby.

Intercepted at sea, Ms. Véliz Querol and her family were kept on a Coast
Guard ship for 12 days. During that time, she was interviewed several
times by U.S. immigration authorities. Such interviews can be traumatic,
particularly for people who have had run-ins with officials in Cuba and
are now at sea surrounded by men in uniforms. Translations also can be
difficult, and this case involved adults who use sign language. Still,
the decision was made to send the family back.

According to Rep. Diaz-Balart, Ms. Véliz Querol and her husband were
jailed soon after being returned to Cuba. They had been searching for
new living quarters after discovering that their home in Havana had been
confiscated by the government. Whether or not she qualifies for asylum
or a humanitarian U.S. visa, Ms. Véliz Querol deserves a fair
immigration interview at the U.S. Interests Section.

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/453163.html