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U.S. man tries, fails to get arrested for travel to Cuba
I've always dreamed of going to Cuba, but fears of hefty fines and prison time have so far kept me from doing so. As it turns out, maybe I shouldn't have been worried. Mytchell Mora, a U.S. citizen, has been to Cuba four times in the last tens years and hasn't managed to get in any trouble - despite his best efforts.
Mora actually wants to get arrested for violating the United States' ban on travel to Cuba (which was reduced slightly by President Obama to allow restricted travel by those with family in Cuba) as a way of protesting a policy he thinks discriminates against non-Cuban Americans and unfairly punishes the Cuban people.
Mora flew to Cuba in 1999 and 2000, after which he received a letter from the U.S. Treasury Department asking why he went to Cuba and how much he spent, and threatening fines or jail time if he failed to respond. Mora sent back a letter saying he chose to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights (you know, the old "right to remain silent") and never heard from the government about the matter again. In 2002 he made another trip to Cuba. He was stopped by customs officials at the airport when he returned and was questioned and released again.
On Friday, Mora returned from his most recent trip with a suitcase full of Cuban souvenirs. Mora says that when he told U.S. authorities that he was coming from Cuba, a supervisor was called over. The supervisor typed some info in a computer, but ultimately let Mora go with little hassle. According to an AP article, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said their officers won't detain U.S. citizens returning from Cuba, but will report them to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Mora is hoping that they do report him, and that this time he is charged with the crime. He hopes to bring the case to court, to challenge the Cuba travel ban and have it lifted.
I thought I'd have to wait until then to visit Cuba but now, I'm not so sure I do.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay Jul 25th 2009 10:07PM
You can easily go to the Cuba via the Carribean and in Cuba they actually wont stamp your documents if they know your a US national so you don' t get in trouble
Joe Jul 27th 2009 4:44AM
If you ever go to Cuba, you'll be pleased to find there are a lot of Americans down there. Not a few, not a lot, but a good amount. And they won't act Canadien. If asked, they will tell you they are American. Some are there for a relaxing vacation and others are there for the women.
A friend of mine, British, went last year. I told him I would love to go but it's illegal for Americans. He told me he met so many Americans there he wasn't even sure the ban was still in effect.
Busted Jul 27th 2009 11:29PM
Around the same time as Mr. Mora, I was stopped returning to the US, hassled by Customs Agents, after they discovered the Cuban Passport Control stamp placed far back on a blank page near the back of my passport (politely requesting that the Customs officers in Cuba not stamp on entry and exit doesn't always work). I got the "please incriminate yourself' letter from the OFAC. Since Bush was in office because of the Florida vote, and was cracking down, I decided to negotiate a settlement.
I'm pretty upset the way the whole thing went down. I felt like I was being squeezed by mafioso types during the process - "Just pay us and nothing bad will happen to you". A few years later I heard that Law Judges were being set up to start hearing cases for the first time, and felt like I'd made the wise decision to roll over.
Now hearing Mora's story of sticking to his guns just makes me madder, and more ashamed that I didn't stick to my guns.
mary collins finn Sep 13th 2009 8:16PM
Last year I planned to run the Havana marathon. I just thought it would be a more interesting way to visit the country than just going as a regular tourist. I hoped I might run alongside regular Cubans and share a common where I wouldn't just be treated as a source of tourist dollars. I applied for a special license and was turned down. I was planning to fly there from a vacation in Costa Rica anyway, having duel citizenship with Europe I could use my European passport for entry and exit via San Jose CR and no one would know. BUT I CHICKENED OUT! My husband and I had paid for flights, a hotel, the marathon and just didn't go on from Costa R.. As naturalized citizens I reckoned that, however much we disagree with the law, we really couldn't sleep nights worrying if I broke it.
I laud Mr. Mora and his stance and will follow his progress with interest because I intend applying again for a license to travel there for the marathon.