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CNN Live Today
U.S. Residents Held by Cuban Authorities
Aired June 27, 2003 - 11:22 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A Cuban couple is in Havana trying to see relatives who are being detained there. Maricel Angulo, who lives in Cuba, is trying to visit her brother, sister and brother-in-law. Angulo's sister, Maria Cardoso, and her husband, Arcel, live in Miami. Their two children, who were with them in Cuba, have returned to Miami now. And authorities say the Cardosos have been held in Cuba since April, because Maria Cardoso was carrying a letter which, Cuba says, contained incriminating information. Her brother, Omelio Angulo, also was arrested and accused of giving her the letter.
And sources at the State Department say the U.S. government is limited in what it can do, because the Cardosos aren't U.S. citizens.
Joining us from Washington, D.C. to talk more about the case is U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who represents south Florida.
REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Tell us, if you would, it seems to be a very complicated story. Can you just break down for us quickly what has happened here?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, unfortunately it's a complicated story that's played out quite often in the Miami exile community. There are a lot of Cuban exiles who obviously are allowed to travel to Cuba to visit our relatives, and sometimes they get into this legal maze, where for any whim of Fidel Castro's dictatorship desires, he can detain you, and that's what has happened in this family.
Now, all we know is the information that has come from the family members, so we have no way of verifying the other side of the story. But they say that they went on a family vacation using the legal procedures as set forth by U.S. law and Cuban law. They went there to visit their family in Cuba. At the end of their two-week stay, like thousands of Cuban exiles, they were going back to Miami, and they were stopped at the airport in Havana, and supposedly confiscated a letter that was in the woman's bra that was perhaps derogatory statements about Castro were contained in the letter or some sort of operations about Castro's military. We don't quite know.
And for that they've have been held incommunicado without communication for months now, having no access to the lawyers. And even if they had lawyers, in Cuba you have no independent judiciary, you have no rights of any kind, and Fidel Castro just puts people in jail when he doesnt agree with them. So, we don't know what's going to happen to this couple and to the brother of the wife. COLLINS: But clearly the biggest question is something that we've already mentioned, the Cardosos are not U.S. citizens. What can the United States do?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, legally the United States has no obligation to help this family. But I believe that the government has a moral obligation to do so, because this family went with valid U.S. documents to go to Cuba.
But this should serve as a cautionary tale to any American citizen or even U.S. residents traveling to Cuba that they are going into a Communist regime where there is no due process of law, where there are no civil liberties that are respected. They're not going to have access to a lawyer. They could languish in jail for many months, or they could be freed tomorrow. It is up to the whim of Fidel Castro.
And people should understand that when you -- especially for the Cuban exiles, even if they are naturalized citizens -- if you go to Cuba, Cuba recognizes you as a Cuban citizen. So, it's a very difficult legal situation for them.
COLLINS: But tell us, Representative Ros-Lehtinen, how did you get involved? And what can you specifically do in this situation?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, the relatives called our congressional office, and, as I say, this may be a new case here. But unfortunately it happens quite a bit in our Miami exile community. They contacted our office, and they tried quietly to try to solve this case on their own. That's why so many weeks have gone by. And they have not had any success.
So, we're making contact with the U.S. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), appealing on humanitarian grounds, understanding that the legal considerations are such that we are not obligated to help. But because they went in a legal way using the U.S. government services to get there that the U.S. government should at least try to help.
And, again, I want to say we only know the family's side of the story.
COLLINS: Right.
ROS-LEHTINEN: But I think that they're deserving of help no matter what it is that they're accused of. And we know that Castro is a tyrannical regime, and he hates Cuban exiles, even though we're the ones that really prop him up, and tourism dollars keep him in power, unfortunately.
COLLINS: Certainly lots of questions to be asked in this situation.
ROS-LEHTINEN: Yes.
COLLINS: U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, thanks so much for your time this morning. ROS-LEHTINEN: Thank you. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired June 27, 2003 - 11:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A Cuban couple is in Havana trying to see relatives who are being detained there. Maricel Angulo, who lives in Cuba, is trying to visit her brother, sister and brother-in-law. Angulo's sister, Maria Cardoso, and her husband, Arcel, live in Miami. Their two children, who were with them in Cuba, have returned to Miami now. And authorities say the Cardosos have been held in Cuba since April, because Maria Cardoso was carrying a letter which, Cuba says, contained incriminating information. Her brother, Omelio Angulo, also was arrested and accused of giving her the letter.
And sources at the State Department say the U.S. government is limited in what it can do, because the Cardosos aren't U.S. citizens.
Joining us from Washington, D.C. to talk more about the case is U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who represents south Florida.
REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Tell us, if you would, it seems to be a very complicated story. Can you just break down for us quickly what has happened here?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, unfortunately it's a complicated story that's played out quite often in the Miami exile community. There are a lot of Cuban exiles who obviously are allowed to travel to Cuba to visit our relatives, and sometimes they get into this legal maze, where for any whim of Fidel Castro's dictatorship desires, he can detain you, and that's what has happened in this family.
Now, all we know is the information that has come from the family members, so we have no way of verifying the other side of the story. But they say that they went on a family vacation using the legal procedures as set forth by U.S. law and Cuban law. They went there to visit their family in Cuba. At the end of their two-week stay, like thousands of Cuban exiles, they were going back to Miami, and they were stopped at the airport in Havana, and supposedly confiscated a letter that was in the woman's bra that was perhaps derogatory statements about Castro were contained in the letter or some sort of operations about Castro's military. We don't quite know.
And for that they've have been held incommunicado without communication for months now, having no access to the lawyers. And even if they had lawyers, in Cuba you have no independent judiciary, you have no rights of any kind, and Fidel Castro just puts people in jail when he doesnt agree with them. So, we don't know what's going to happen to this couple and to the brother of the wife. COLLINS: But clearly the biggest question is something that we've already mentioned, the Cardosos are not U.S. citizens. What can the United States do?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, legally the United States has no obligation to help this family. But I believe that the government has a moral obligation to do so, because this family went with valid U.S. documents to go to Cuba.
But this should serve as a cautionary tale to any American citizen or even U.S. residents traveling to Cuba that they are going into a Communist regime where there is no due process of law, where there are no civil liberties that are respected. They're not going to have access to a lawyer. They could languish in jail for many months, or they could be freed tomorrow. It is up to the whim of Fidel Castro.
And people should understand that when you -- especially for the Cuban exiles, even if they are naturalized citizens -- if you go to Cuba, Cuba recognizes you as a Cuban citizen. So, it's a very difficult legal situation for them.
COLLINS: But tell us, Representative Ros-Lehtinen, how did you get involved? And what can you specifically do in this situation?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, the relatives called our congressional office, and, as I say, this may be a new case here. But unfortunately it happens quite a bit in our Miami exile community. They contacted our office, and they tried quietly to try to solve this case on their own. That's why so many weeks have gone by. And they have not had any success.
So, we're making contact with the U.S. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), appealing on humanitarian grounds, understanding that the legal considerations are such that we are not obligated to help. But because they went in a legal way using the U.S. government services to get there that the U.S. government should at least try to help.
And, again, I want to say we only know the family's side of the story.
COLLINS: Right.
ROS-LEHTINEN: But I think that they're deserving of help no matter what it is that they're accused of. And we know that Castro is a tyrannical regime, and he hates Cuban exiles, even though we're the ones that really prop him up, and tourism dollars keep him in power, unfortunately.
COLLINS: Certainly lots of questions to be asked in this situation.
ROS-LEHTINEN: Yes.
COLLINS: U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, thanks so much for your time this morning. ROS-LEHTINEN: Thank you. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
