THE 17th Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba crossed back into the United States via Hidalgo, Texas on Monday morning July 17, after delivering 60 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba, followed by an informative and exciting eight-day educational visit to the island.
”The motto of our 17th caravan has been ‘Cuba is our neighbor: End the blockade now,’” said Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace. “We are called by our faith to resist any law which would keep us from fulfilling our biblical mandate to love our neighbor.”
Members of the caravan remained highly disciplined and in excellent spirits as they faced interrogation and searches by more than 75 Homeland Security and Treasury officials. The caravanistas successfully resisted efforts to fingerprint them and isolate them for questioning.
The entire process took five hours, including attempts at interrogation and hand searches of their personal luggage.
International members of the caravan from Canada and Europe received the highest level of harassment. They were isolated and interrogated in a back room, and were threatened with denial of reentry into the US if they did not fully cooperate.
One aggressive Cuban-American plainclothes agent, who repeatedly refused to identify herself or the US agency for which she works, took photographs of caravanistas, asked harassing questions, and was finally reduced to spending 20 minutes rifling through the papers in Rev. Walker’s briefcase.
”Today’s ‘welcome home’ ceremony by our government is yet another desperate attempt by a failing empire to try to defend an indefensible policy,” said Rev. Walker. “It is shameful that they continue to cater to extremist interests in South Florida, in order just to win a few votes.”
Last year, more than 100 participants in recent Pastors for Peace caravans received letters from OFAC threatening them with fines for traveling to Cuba. “We don’t know what will await us this time,” said IFCO board member Rev. Luis Barrios, “but we refuse to be intimidated from fulfilling our mission of humanitarian aid and fellowship.”
