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CNN Live Today

Cubans Defect in Canada

Aired July 30, 2002 - 12:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church and Canadian officials are dealing with a group of young Cubans seeking asylum. They went to Canada to see the Pope at World Youth Day festivities, and now they say they don't want to go home.

CNN's Frank Buckley joins us now from Toronto with more -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra. Right , now, the 23 young people are here in Canada, staying in safe houses in and around Toronto, as it's been described as one of the people helping this group of young people. Twenty-three people out of a delegation of about 200, many of those people in that group of 200 left today from Montreal headed back to Cuba, again without at least 23 of those young Cuban Catholics who came here as part of World Youth Day Activities to meet the Pope. It's a situation that has some people uncomfortable. Certainly the Catholic Church may suffer as a result of this in Cuba, and, right , now, the young Cubans are here hoping achieve refugee status -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: How many people are we talking about, Frank, and have they said to anyone that the ultimate goal is to get to the United States?

BUCKLEY: Well, the number is 23, now, but we've talked one of the folks from the Cuban Canadian Foundation who is helping them, and he is saying that he believes that the number could grow. He didn't have an exact number, but he said that it could be more than 23. But right now, the church officials in Cuba are confirming to us that, at least 23, have told them, indicated to them, they are not coming home. So far, no indication that this group intends to go to the United States, although we are told some of them have relatives in the United States, so that could be an ultimate outcome, here. But it appears as though these refugees for the moment, or they're not refugees, but want they want to become refugees, here in Canada, and that could eventually lead to Canadian citizenship -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Frank, what type of legal issues do they have to deal with, now,? I'm assuming a number of hurdles.

BUCKLEY: Yes, what they have to do is interview with a citizenship officer here. If they clear that hurdle, if that officer believes that they have a potentially valid case, then they go before a citizenship and immigration board. There, they have to really show that if they returned their nation of origin, they would face some sort of persecution, torture. There's even the phrase, cruel and unusual punishment. If they can show that is a possible outcome, if they returned to their nation of origin, then there's a pretty good chance that they'll be granted refugee status.

PHILLIPS: All right, our Frank Buckley, live from Toronto. Thanks, Frank.

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