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NEWS
Posted on Thu, Dec. 11, 2003
U.S. POLICY
Violations up among travelers to Cuba
The United States is getting
tougher on enforcing the travel ban to Cuba. In the last two months,
many more violations have been discovered than in the past.
BY NANCY SAN MARTIN
nsanmartin@herald.com
In the two months since President Bush announced tougher enforcement of
the U.S. travel ban to Cuba, authorities have inspected about 54,000
travelers and detected 600 violations, up from just 10 violations during
the same period last year, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.
''We do not believe the law ought to be flouted,'' Asa Hutchinson,
undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security at the Department
of Homeland Security, said at the University of Miami's Institute for
Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.
The increased enforcement was ordered by Bush on Oct. 10 as part of
enhanced initiatives to strengthen the four decades-old embargo on Cuba,
which includes travel restrictions.
''The embargo is important to make sure we keep the pressure on the
corrupt regime,'' Hutchinson said. ``We have a responsibility to enforce
the law and that's what we intend to do.''
Over the past 60 days, authorities examined a total of 971 flights. Of
the 600 violations detected, more than 400 came from passengers on
inbound flights. Most of the violations were committed by passengers
arriving from Cuba with alcohol and tobacco products. Others did not
have the travel licenses required by U.S. law.
The majority of violations on the outbound flights were for passengers
who also did not have proper travel licenses. Authorities also targeted
passengers who were carrying cash to Cuba above the $100 a day limit
allowed under U.S. law for authorized travelers.
Hutchinson said officials are looking at ways to better detect those
travelers using third countries to circumvent the travel ban.
Authorities at the Treasury Department also are more closely
scrutinizing the applications of those seeking travel licenses to Cuba,
Hutchinson said.
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