Posted on 05/30/2007 12:36:39 PM PDT by 3AngelaD
WASHINGTON - A federal plan to prevent a major exodus of Cuban refugees following Fidel Castro's death appears sound, two Florida congressmen said Wednesday.
"Operationally, they're as prepared as they can be at this stage," said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., after a closed-door briefing with leaders from half a dozen federal agencies prepping for the passing of the ailing Cuban dictator...Emergency planners fear the post-Castro political climate could prompt the largest mass migration to Florida in decades...
Diaz-Balart said the agencies "made very clear" that they intend to prevent a post-Castro wave of migrants from reaching U.S. soil. "It will not be permitted," he said.
Officials declined to offer specifics on post-Castro plans.
"There is a plan in place, and we have tested it several times," said Petty Officer Tasha Tully, a St. Petersburg-based Coast Guard spokesperson...
Andy Gomez, a senior fellow at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, said in a telephone interview he has been consulted by federal officials and local officials in South Florida preparing the emergency response.
"The government's planning efforts have so far been superb. I think there were many lessons learned from the Mariel Boatlift," he said, referring to the migration of 125,000 Cubans to the United States in 1980.
But he fears that the government is vastly underestimating the number of people who could flee the island. "They are banking on, at most, 8,000 to 10,000 people at any one time. Those numbers are very, very low. I think 500,000 people could try to leave in the first year," depending on how events unfold there. It would be catastrophic if that many people reach Florida, he said...
I think they are expecting an exodus of pro-castro supporters who want to get out before revenge day in Havana.
Why would they leave free health care, education, food, etc ? Mikey Moore said it was paradise on earth.
The one border our government is willing to seal is our border with Cuba. There’s a Terry Southern book in there, somewhere.
So what they are saying is Mexicans —good, Cubans —bad.
Where is the plan to stop the Mexican exodus?
The middle class left a long while ago. This migration would be economic, following the collapse of the house of cards which is what's left of the Cuban economy
Why would things get worse after his death? Anyway this really ticks me off. We have people that risk their lives for freedom, that want to be Americans, and usually give more than they take. We say no thanks, but open our Mexicans borders and wave them in?
Do we dare scream racist? Our government willing to stop cubans but not mexicans, sounds racist to me!(two faced politicians)
If there were to be some kind of government upheaval, like a Chavez-type takeover, or a huge national disaster in Mexico, we would need the mother of all detention plans for the millions of additional Mexicans that would come streaming over our southern border all at once. One thing we should pray for is stability, such as it is, in Mexico.
“Why would things get worse after his death?” Several things might cause a massive exodus. If the Castro regime were to be overthrown after he dies, everyone who supported it and was part of it would want to come here to avoid the inevitable retribution. If the Castro regime holds under Raul, during the unstable time of the turnover, everyone who wanted to leave and get away from the communist paradise, but have been prevented from leaving by the regime — and that is most Cubans — would get in boats and head for Miami.
DIA official warns about Cuban spies
…DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) analyst Ana Belen Montes, convicted of espionage in 2002, told Cuban intelligence officers about a secret U.S. Army Special Forces camp in El Salvador that she visited in 1987...DIA counterspy Scott W. Carmichael says in his book, "True Believer." Mr. Carmichael, who led the DIA's investigation of Montes, said in an interview that other Cuban agents are operating inside the U.S. government. "I believe that the Cuban Intelligence Service has penetrated the United States government to the same extent that the old East German intelligence service, the Stasi, once penetrated the West German government during the Cold War,"…(Washington Times, 15 Mar 07)
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