----- Original Message -----
From: Arnold Hite
To:
amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 7:21 AM
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] Coast Guard 2--Cubans 0-
I am in favor of anything we can do to assist these Cuban refugees in
their attempt to come to the U.S. I am wondering what might help? Is
it possible to send them money with a reasonable assurance that they
would actually receive it? Could I sponsor them in their application to
immigrate? I have contacted the staff writer at the Miami Herald by
email but I have received no response. I will try a phone call next
week. What else might I try?
Arnold
Free on Johns Island, SC
That's a very humane response!
Actually, I'm very surprised to hear that the main people involved in this
attempt are also the same ones who made the AmphiChevy attempt. I would have
thought that, especially with the publicity of the first attempt, they would be
spending some extended time in one of Fidel's deeper holes.
I have to say that these guys are really sharpening their design skills. The
Chevy was a crude raft design, with 55-gallon drums lashed to the sides, and the
pick-up truck simply held mostly above the waterline. The Buick appears much
more sophisticated, as the body sits into the water. This means a lot of thought
and effort went into waterproofing the "hull", and that problems with door seams
were also solved. The bow fairing looks very good (is it Fiberglas?), and the
whole vehicle was given a nice paint job (fjord green!). True, the flybridge is
a bit crude, and passenger comfort has decreased (11 people on board!).
Here's a bit more background from papers that have covered the story as other
than mildly humorous:
"It was Marcial Basante's, 35, second attempt at crossing the 90-mile Florida
Straits aboard a vintage vessel. He was joined by a friend, Luis Gras, 35, who
also attempted the trip in July with his wife Isora Hernandez, 26, and their
4-year-old son, Angel. Before attempting their first trip in the Chevy, Basante
and Gras had made a living using the truck to haul construction materials and
merchandise. Since the truck was sunk, making ends meet had gotten tougher.
Luis Gras and Basante had both dropped off immigration forms at the U.S.
Interests Section in Havana in December and were told to return for interviews
in March and April, relatives said. But the men were doubtful that their
requests to start a new life in South Florida would be approved. After all, most
of the migrants who made the headline-grabbing trip in July had already received
letters from the Refugee Program of U.S. Interests Section in Havana stating
they did not "meet the necessary requirements" for a visa.
Gras and Basante had worked out plans to retrofit the Buick for three or four
months along with another friend known only by his first name, Rafael, who owned
the car. He left with his wife, Nivia, and their two young sons.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, sent letters to President
Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the U.S. Coast Guard asking that
the migrants be paroled into the United States."
One paper that is covering the story fairly well is
http://www.sun-sentinel.com
.
You might try contacting either the newspaper or Representative Ros-Lehtinen.
Further, most cities like Miami or San Diego have a number of lawyers who
specialize in immigration and naturalization issues. Another resource is
http://www.canf.org/2004/principal-ingles.htm .
Ed
El Cajon
67 Rust Guppy
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