"It is unclear whether Cuba's Fidel Castro would allow the 15 to leave the communist island."

That's assuming they're still alive.

Yes, I'm with Harrison - does anybody think they're still living?

Has anyone seen Elian Gonzalas lately? He is a communist poster child. Fidel turned him into a media campaign to promote the great humanitarianism and superiority of the communist way. Too bad he will have to drive a 1952 rusted out chevy on his sweet 16.

So you make it, almost, in a leaky boat and swim to a bridge and some joker sends you back before appeals are complete. Great, this just keeps getting better.

I have been to Cuba and the brutality of the State security would be difficult to overestimate. These people have had a hard time, at minimum.

The worst of it is that we signed an agreement not to invade as part of the 1962 missle deal, so we can't even go get them.

All this because some Democrat judge wanted to keep out three Republican votes.

did Janet Reno come back for an encore performance? Seriously, this is disgraceful behavior on our government's part.

wait, I'm confused. Aren't most Republicans against illegal immigration? I suppose you could call them refugees, but then why couldn't anyone who crosses the Mexican border also be called a refugee? They too could be fleeing oppresion and economic hardship.

If it was US policy to allow any and all Cuban immigrants to settle in America but at the same time deny anyone crossing the Mexican border illegally, that would be pretty hypocritical. Mexicans (or other C. Americans) then would just start taking boats to Florida and say they were Cuban.

Now I don't think this or the Elian Gonzalez decision were right, nor do I think arresting every illegal and sending them back to wherever they came from is right either. All I'm looking for is some consistency.

sean...
Cubans, among others, are classified as political refugees. Your own analogy used the word COULD. ANd you are right, they could lcaim political asylum. And they would have to prove it, on a case by case basis. Cubans, their home being a communist dictatorship that we are actively enforcing sanctions against, are granted this status from the start UNTIL proven otherwise.
You also use the word illegally, describing how some Mexicans get into the US... the fact that they are already breaking US law might explain why they are not allowed to settle freely. There is a legal process, and they have chosen not to follow it.

I suspect you know all of the above, but since it gets in the way of your argument, you ignore.

As for Mexicans pretending to be Cubans... this only betrays your own prejudice and ignorance. What, they all look and sound alike to you? If a conservative on this blog or in the comments said something similar, you'd be calling him/her a racist for it.

scsi,
the explanation you gave is helpful, but the main point I was making is that people are coming to this country for more opportunity: economic, political, whatever. It's unfortunate that politics (namely, the political situation of the home country) decides the right of someone to be able to come to the country as a refugee or as an illegal, even though their lives might be very similar in their home country. But that's just the way it is. I brought it up to bring to light the fact how demonized illegals are, when really they could be considered economic refugees.

And to say my statement is possibly racist is surprising. I generally think of racism as saying something negative about a specific race, not saying two are similar and could be confused for one another. Examples, I'm American, but I could be confused for English, German, Russian, Italian, and maybe some other European countries. Chinese, Koreans, and other E Asians can be confused for one another, Arabs and Persians, etc. Just saying two nationalities are similar is not racist. Generally, the biggest difference is language, but since Cuba and Mexico both speak Spanish, that makes them harder to distinguish. In fact, you could say they are the same race, Latino, so comparing them is completely valid, just as most of Europe could be compared as Caucasian and few would take offense to it.

sean,
Economic refugee is not a valid immmigration status that deserves protection or special consideration. Being poor, and coming from a failed economy, that covers most of the legal immigrants to the USA since immigration was tracked and metered. Think Irish Potato Famine.

As for racist, note that I didn't call you racist. But go ask a Cuban if Mexicans could or should pretend to be Cuban to get into the US. Then ask a Mexican if they look and sound alike to make that a done deal. Let us know what kind of responses you get.

Sean,

I was making is that people are coming to this country for more opportunity: economic, political, whatever.

the way you have framed this sentence is quite misleading. Of course people come for opportunity. difference being that a Cuba doesnt come here for economic opportunity, they risk their lives crossing the Florida Straights so that the can live like free human beings. Whatever economic opportunity they get are secondary to their reasons for leaving Cuba.

I generally think of racism as saying something negative about a specific race, not saying two are similar and could be confused for one another.

Hogwash. The only similarity between mexicans and Cubans is the language. That is it. The culture, ethos, and mores of both are completely dissimilar.

Generally, the biggest difference is language, but since Cuba and Mexico both speak Spanish, that makes them harder to distinguish. In fact, you could say they are the same race, Latino, so comparing them is completely valid, just as most of Europe could be compared as Caucasian and few would take offense to it.

the term "Latino" is a contrived term in order for peoiple like you to lump all spanish speaking cultures under one umbrella. As is the term "hispanic." Neither term is a "race."

BTW Sean, Val counts, so I guess you only need to find a Mexican. That is, if you can tell them apart from all of the other spanish speakers in the world.
LOL