Again, a call to action on Cuba travel
By Alvaro F. Fernandez
If there’s one thing I hate saying is “I told you so.”
Last year’s David Rivera amendment presented to the Committee on the Judiciary in Congress did not get far. It did not mean Rivera and company sat on their hands – but we did, after the President bailed us out.
Rivera’s H.R. 2831, which would amend Public Law 89-732 (commonly known as the Cuban Adjustment Act), will again be heard this Thursday (May 31) at 1:30 p.m. at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
Basically, what the amendment attempts to do is disallow Cubans who are not yet citizens of the U.S. to travel to Cuba. If they do so, their adjustment of status would be rescinded and they would be considered “illegal” if they return to the U.S.
On December 14 of last year I wrote: Too many of us sat on our hands then and wished the problem would just go away. Adding: …we should have been better prepared. … Cuban Americans now serving in the U.S. Congress will not go quietly into the night. … They are tireless.
At the time I was referring to amendments to laws presented in congress by Mario Diaz-Balart and David Rivera to curtail our right to travel and visit family members in Cuba. I asked that you call President Obama. The president came through and ordered Senate leaders not to allow these amendments to reach his desk. They didn’t.
In that same column I wrote: it is time to seriously consider planning ahead. With the businesses, jobs, and other interests affected by our limited relationship with Cuba, it is time that an organized group or association be started that may deal with issues that seem to catch us by surprise every so often…
I finished by saying: If not, my political crystal ball only sees David Riveras on the horizon. And that would be tragic.
I’m sorry to say I was right. And we’ve remained seated on our butts!
Most of my readers know how I stand on the issue of family unity, and especially how it is applied to Cuban families – on both sides of the issue. I have been fighting for this since at least 2004, and will continue to do so.
In 2011, when Rivera first presented his amendment, I asked one of the executives who charters flights to Cuba what percentage of persons would be affected by HR 2831. His answer was a startling almost 50% of persons who travel to Cuba are not yet U.S. citizens. The law would cut off physical communication with family members to these people. We cannot allow that to happen.
What can we do?
Call the office of the Subcommittee: (202) 225-3926. (Politely tell them you oppose H.R. 2831. If you’re a U.S. citizen and voter, inform them. Don’t let them think that only non-U.S. citizens oppose this amendment.)
You can also call or fax members of the subcommittee:
Rep. Elton Gallegly, chair
(202) 225-5811 / FAX: (202) 225-1100
Rep. Pete King, vice chair
(202) 225-7896 / FAX: (202) 226-2279
Email: Pete.King@mail.house.gov
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
(202) 225-3816 / FAX: (202) 225-3317
Rep. Maxine Waters
(202) 225-2201 / FAX: (202) 225-7854
Rep. Dan Lungren
(202) 225-5716 / FAX: (202) 226-1298
Email: https://lungrenforms.house.gov/contact-us1
Rep. Louie Gohmert
(202) 225-3035 / FAX: (202) 226-1230
Rep. Ted Poe
(202) 225-6565 / FAX: (202) 225-5547
Rep. Trey Gowdy
(202) 225-6030 / FAX: (202) 226-1177
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WORDING OF HR 2831:
SECTION 1. MODIFICATION OF RULES REGARDING ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS FOR CUBAN REFUGEES.
Section 1 of Public Law 89-732 is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘An alien shall be ineligible for adjustment of status under this section if the alien returns to Cuba after admission or parole into the United States. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall rescind the status of an alien who obtained adjustment of status under this section if the alien returns to Cuba before being admitted to citizenship in accordance with title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), and the alien shall thereafter be subject to all the provisions of such Act to the same extent as if the adjustment of status had not been made.’
