Cuban Americans air grievances over travel restrictions
BURLINGTON, Vt.—A group of Cuban-Americans living in Vermont say federal government rules that restrict their travel to Cuba to once every three years violate their rights.
In a hearing Wednesday, Jared Carter, of Montpelier, questioned why he and his wife, who is from Cuba, should not be able to travel to Cuba to see her family and celebrate their marriage. Federal travel restrictions undermine his constitutional right to associate with family, he told U.S. District Judge William Sessions III.
John O'Quinn, deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, defended the policy, saying the government has the constitutional right to restrict Americans from traveling to other countries. In the case of Cuba, the policy prevents money from going to the communist Cuban government, which the United States does not support, he said.
Sessions gave both sides 30 days to provide more information about emergency travel exemptions granted in some cases.
An exemption allows U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba for emergencies involving an immediate family member who is also a U.S. citizen,but no exemption exists for emergencies involving Cuban relations.
Carter and his wife, Yurisleidis Levya Mora, joined in the court challenge by Armando Vilaseca, of Westford, and Maricel Keniston, of Perkinsville, are challenging the travel restrictions set in 2004. They are seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow them to travel to Cuba, before a decision is issued on the restrictions.
The case has attracted national attention, including from the American Civil Liberties Union in Vermont, Florida and Massachusetts.
ACLU attorney James Messinger said that a government report found no signs that the restrictions affected the flow of money to the Cuban government.
Carter, who got married in December, wants to travel with his wife to Cuba to celebrate their union with her relatives, including aging grandparents, he said.
Vilaseca, who moved from Cuba to the United States as a child, hoped to visit his dying aunt when the lawsuit was filed in March. She has since died.
"I still hoped to see her one more time," said Vilaseca, superintendent of schools at Franklin West Supervisory Union in Fairfax.
"My story is one of thousands of stories. Something as simple as going to a wedding should not be so difficult," he said.
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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com
