Speech #1000004674

Arrests continue. fair trial is denied. torture is practiced. and many political prisoners are kept in jail after their sentences have expired. In the face of this evidence. the administration has not always backed up its words with actions. Although the President promised in June to make "any effort" to help former and current political prisoners. the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] has been dragging its feet. Between 10.000 and 30.000 Cuban political prisoners and their families are waiting to come to the United States. but only 111 have entered since the summer. Several hundred have been prescreened by our interests section in Havana. but have been waiting for their final applications to be processed since November. Thousands more have not even been prescreened. After screening. the Cuban Government often erects further roadblocks to emigration. refusing to grant the necessary exit visas to those political prisoners who have been cleared for entry into the United States. On December 17. 1986. Castro denied visas at the very last minute to 48 political prisoners and their families. The Cuban Government told the United States interests section that no exit permits of the type sought by these 48 would be available until January or later. This unexplained refusal by the Castro regime further complicates relations between our nations with regard to emigration. It clearly underscores the need to have a strong and consistent policy in place by the U.S. Government to facilitate entry.