NPR's All Things Considered
As n. p. r.'s david welna reports now from miami many of that city's eight hundred thousand cuban americans feel betrayed by washington's insistence that the boy be reunited with his father
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There is an edge here of danger and defiant permeating this tropical city
A city that's run by cuban americans and where many seem to have their sights fixed more on the island a flat denominations are now a part of four years cuban exiles in miami have persuaded politicians in washington to go along with their demands a thirty seven year trade embargo against cuba and almost automatic u. s. residents minute they set foot on american soil
But that kind of political clout has not prevailed in the showdown over a leon washington has sided with the venison and that the boy t. v. turned his father and cubans here are serious
We need money outside the middle of swinging and then stained glass morning of monday to protest his innocence and he spent in college miami is ready to burn
One of those chanting his twenty five year old read some of that left cuba when she was four
She says she's been shocked that washington has largely ignored the x. files demands that in the end be allowed to stay with the slimy relatives
And then when the united states in nineteen eighty nine when you when you read it to someone else
Standing next to hurricanes
Melody played that's okay malone's miami as a fourteen year old in their early sixties she compares the clinton administration's handling of the indiana case with john f. kennedy's bay of pigs fiasco saying cuban americans have good reason to mistrust washington
It's not the contrary notwithstanding be the way many many years ago and now we know that we are being paid by the democrats to
What what kind of witness acknowledges it's not just the administration but a majority of americans as well and she thinks mistakenly want to see a neon return to cuba with his father i mean
Even that mean that we're following today that the timetable there are many americans probably at all what do you think he's doing a lot going on in cuba i then last night season's greetings and there are a couple of blocks from where you are seeing one of those cheering them on was a fifty eight year old think your name appeared to be a little bit cardboard sign that the clinton gore good friends with castro dictatorship
He says during the forty years he's lived in the united states after fleeing cuba he's never seen an administration in washington more hostile to the cuban exiles in miami
They don't pay a lot fewer than two hundred people the diving industry and don't give up not included i've got to tell you all for joining us i'm leon get anything done like that at all
When there's a limit on political scientists is the mcmanus of the university of south florida says it's not at all surprising that both al gore and george w. bush has sided with this decisive group of voters in this key swing state where a community that's used to winning politically and they're also one of the few communities for which foreign policy is always has banned forever will be the number one driving issue as to how they selected candidates
But some who follow the cuban americans in miami closely say it's not surprising the clinton administration has insisted on sending its own policy regarding the fate of a leon even if it could cost elk or some votes here next fall with a look of history into the hall university says immigration issues have too many political ramifications to be dictated by exiles in miami
Washington particularly the clinton administration has always wanted to control immigration policies and interestingly enough there's always been cooperation between havana and washington when it comes to controlling
Porter's already in miami cuban americans seem resigned today the animal and not with his father but they say they're not willing to let that happen without putting up a fight in the days to come david welna n. p. r. news mike
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