Cuban friends getting arrested for hanging out with us.

So are desperate Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, El Salvadorans, Haitians, and many many others.

And none of those countries is a communist country.

Mexican immigration into the US is down to about zero the last time I checked and those other countries are crime ridden and in some cases have no infrastructure to provide basic services to their population,like Haiti, so yes,the people from those countries you've mentioned are also desperate to leave and come to the US.

You can add all of Africa, most of the ex Soviet Union and a good part of the middle east to the list.

The streets are paved with gold,let them come, they make America and my hometown , NYC , great. Miami is regarded as the capital of Latin America.

Immigrants, overall, work their butts off. They just want a better life for themselves and opportunity for their kids.

My parents were immigrants after the second World war. They did ok for themselves and raised 5 kids. By no means rich when they retired but had a comfortable life.

Very sad experience! I feel though something is missing from the story. In all my years going to Cuba my experience has been that Cuban police don't arrest first time offenders for hanging out with foreigners. Usually they are given a warming and a fine of sorts. The arrest comes when it happens again and its with another set of foreigners.

We had an unfortunate experience this past first trip to Havana. We were halled down to the police station for riding 3 on a bike taxi. The police said it is only seated for two. That and not carrying ID. The bike taxi guy should have known this!!!!! The police were not very friendly. Why did they make such a big deal out of all this we wonder!!!! Our Cuba friend also got a fine for talking back. Seriously they make a big deal of nothing and we had to sit there for about 2 hours. My friend Larry had to use the woman washroom at the station and he said that there was no privacy or stall door or seats. A stupid experience can make for good stories after the incident.

They made a big deal out of it because the law was broken and it increases the danger, having 3 on a bike. The not carrying an id is a nono. Every Cuban knows that.

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