Smuggling: A Dangerous Journey to the U.S.

Many Cubans dream of the day where they will meet U.S. soil. Cuba has been living under the social dictatorship of Fidel Castro and is now under the dictatorship of his younger brother, Raul. This social dictatorship has created a climate of fear within Cubans who are against the Castro regime. The citizen’s of Cuba are prohibited to express opinions or speak against the regime, and if found doing so are subject to imprisonment and torture. This has created a large incentive for Cubans to travel to the U.S. where they are given freedom and a democratic nation. However the journey to the U.S. is in no way free or democratic.

In order to do so, many turn to smugglers who bring them in by sea or land and charge sky rocketing prices. The question is: Do these smugglers care? No. Smugglers are charging from five to fifteen thousand dollars per person to attempt to bring these immigrants into the U.S. Many of them charge the fee before even embarking on this journey, is this right? Not only can this be a scam but also it can create highly dangerous situations in which the smuggler does not care about the welfare of its passengers but rather its money. Not only do they not guarantee U.S. soil but also many times smugglers torture their passengers as a result of not paying their dues ahead of time. This was the case of Yurizan Gonzalez. Gonzalez and many others have faced up to two weeks of torture in order to send a “frightening message” to relatives of those immigrants. Why would it be necessary to pay for it ahead of time if they have not yet arrived? This form of immigration has brought about a decrease in the number of Cubans willing to partake in this dangerous journey. What can we do to stop this? The truth is unfortunately: Nothing.




http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/cubaimmigration.html
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/75870.html