[Peace-discuss] American Gestapo

[C. G. Estabrook]

[The Bill of Rights was written over two centuries ago for one purpose: to
curb the arrogant intrusions of a central government. It becomes a dead
letter when we allow the modern US secret police to get away with things
like this. --CGE]

	July 19, 2004
	Press Release 
	More than 100 Federal Agents Welcome Pastors
	for Peace Ambassadors As They Return From Cuba
	CONTACTS: Ellen Bernstein 646-319-5902
	Lucia Bruno, 212-926-5757 or 347-423-4330

More than 100 officers from Homeland security, the Treasury Department,
Customs, Immigration and Border Patrol were on hand at the Hidalgo/Reynosa
border crossing this morning, to welcome the Pastors for Peace
Friendshipment Caravan, which is challenging the travel ban against Cuba.

After three hours of meticulous searching through each item in every
caravanistas luggage, the federal officers confiscated about a dozen items
such as a book of Cuban poetry, a paper flag on a stick, a bag made in
China that had the name Cuba on it, maracas, and a tambourine made in
Mexico.

The aid the caravan was bringing back as a gift from the people of Cuba
sixty-five one-pound bags of Cuban coffee and ninety-one plastic teddy
bears jars of Cuban honey were also seized.

We were astonished by the number of agents made available this morning,
said Lucius Walker, Executive Director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace. At a
time when our nation is in economic crisis and supposedly fighting a war
on terrorism, it is immoral that our government wasted a day's salary of
more than 100 officers to monitor a group of peaceful US citizens who are
exercising their constitutional right to travel.

As elderly women were forced to answer questions about where they bought
each individual item of clothing in their suitcase, young girls were
brought to tears by insistent questioning. An underage minor was separated
from her guardian and coerced into signing a form.

Despite threats from the Bush Administration, Pastors for Peace delivered
over 100 tons of humanitarian aid and visited schools and hospitals in
Cuba. This year marked the 15th Anniversary of the caravans to Cuba.

Pastors for Peace is a project of the Interreligious Foundation for
Community Organization (IFCO), a national ecumenical agency based in
Harlem. Since 1992, the group has educated US citizens about the
immorality of current US policy toward Cuba. "Let us not love in word: but
in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18 IFCO/Pastors for Peace 402 W 145th
Street, New York, NY 10031 212-926-5757; fax: 212-926-5842; web:
<http://www.ifconews.org>

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