We Won! Cuba family travel is saved
by Emily Chow
on December 16, 2011
So there is no suspense, you did it! Through your calls and emails, forwarding of the action alert, and commitment to retaining unrestricted travel to Cuba for families, the Diaz-Balart policy rider has been removed. President Obama’s regulations allowing the reunification of Cuban families stands firm—and without government interference.
DC wouldn’t be what it is without power struggles, complicated and indiscernible Hill jargon and impending government shutdowns. But what we have never witnessed before in the nation’s capitol is a hold placed on the funding of the entire U.S. government over the right for Cuban-American families to travel and see their relatives in Cuba. Here’s what happened:
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Diego Luna Demands End to Gun Smuggling
by Ben Leiter
on November 16, 2011
In too many communities across Mexico, violence has become a frightening reality of daily life, leading to the death of some 50,000 people in five years.
Recently, the Latin America Working Group teamed up with well-known Mexican actor Diego Luna to oppose one of the contributors to this violence: illegal gun smuggling across the U.S. border.
Click here to tell President Obama to Stop Gun Smuggling into Mexico.
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We called Obama about Cuba family travel, did you?
by Emily Chow
on December 16, 2011
In the spirit of the holidays, Cuban-American members of Congress are at it again with their Grinch-like tactics. Rolled into a spending “Megabus” bill that is being pushed through Congress is language that would restrict family travel to Cuba for Cuban Americans to once every three years, no exceptions. However, not only does this amendment, led by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, separate families, it also redefines what constitutes a family circle. Cuban Americans, TAKE NOTE: What this means is that your cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, etc., will no longer qualify as "family." As one of our Cuban-American friends said, “The very idea that some U.S. entity is going to tell a Cuban who is your family and who is not is something so beyond the pale that it might suffice to turn water into wine . . ."
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Watch and Share New PBS Documentary about Afro-Colombian Women Leaders from La Toma
by Vanessa Kritzer, LAWG Colombia Team
on November 01, 2011
Great news! Two of the women leaders of the Afro-Colombian community La Toma, which we have told you about in blogs and action alerts, have been featured on a program called Women, War & Peace on PBS!
Please help us spread the word about this show and click here to watch it online!
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Emergency Action: Cuba family travel at risk!
by LAWG Cuba Team and our Partners from WOLA
on December 13, 2011
This summer, conservative House of Representatives Republicans, led by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, proposed rolling back President Obama’s executive order that allows Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba to visit their relatives without any restrictions. In response, President Obama threatened to veto any legislation that imposed limits on Cuban-Americans’ right to travel freely to visit their families. He is aware that this is an important issue about family values and that it is very important to Cuban-American families in Florida, New Jersey, and across the country.
Today, we have learned that House of Representative Republicans are about to succeed with their punitive campaign against Cuban-American families. They are including rollback language in the “Megabus” appropriations bill now being finalized in the Congress that would prevent Cuban Americans from visiting their relatives more often than once every three years and would limit the remittances they can send. President Obama needs to live up to his promise and say “no” to these efforts to once again divide Cuban families. He must insist that he will not sign this bill if the family travel provision is not removed.
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UN Cuba Vote – Happy 20th Anniversary
by LAWG Cuba Team, Mavis, Emily and Kat
on October 25, 2011
Happy 20th Anniversary! Or maybe “un-happy” anniversary.
Today for the 20th year in a row, the UN General Assembly has voted to condemn the United States’ 50-year-old economic embargo on Cuba. How did the votes turn out this year?
YES (against embargo) – 186
NO (in favor of embargo) – 2
ABSTAIN – 3
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