Beyoncegate: The Real Problem With Travel to Cuba

[Mika]

Beyoncegate: The Real Problem With Travel to Cuba
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/beyoncegate-the-real-problem-with-travel-to-cuba/274925/

<snip>

Kevin Johnston was a graduate student in journalism at San Jose State University when he went to Cuba in 2012 on a specific educational license. Although under the license rules his group was not allowed to leave Havana, some of them ventured outside the city limits one night.

"The next day, our professors got called to the Immigration Department and were questioned about why some of the students had left Havana."

How did the officials know? "That's what I'd like to know!" he says.

Contrary to the mewling loons, it's not Castro's goons following your every move while in Cuba - its the American paid goons tracking American's movements in Cuba.

[naaman fletcher]

1. Good post.

It's all nuts. In addition to the craziness of this, it is of particular concern for those of us who desire to go despite the travel ban and see what it is like before what I fear is the inevitable westernization and it being turned into a tourist trap. I've been contemplating it for a few years now but have not pulled the trigger.

[John2]

2. I do not recognize restrictions

of Americans freedom or rights for the pursuit of happiness in any form even from a tyrannical Congress, that is bought and paid for by special interests groups. Especially when they are foreign planted and newly arrived in this country for asylum. It is what it amounts to. What are they so afraid of Americans really seeing in Cuba? Americans cannot get into North Korea or Iran so easily but apparently the Cuban Government has nothing to hide. It appeared Beyonce and JZ could go where ever they wanted without being monitored by the Cuban Government. That seems to frighten some politicians in Congress.

[joshcryer]

3. You do realize that they seem to be implying Cuba did it, right?

"People should be able to travel freely within Cuba," he says. "Not to demean what they are doing with this travel program, but the U.S. government is funnelling people into that model, this restricted version of Cuba. People who go on these trips are forced into these controlled channels with which the Cuban state is happy to cooperate."

...

"To be completely honest, it felt like our group was on close watch when some of us began meeting with Sanchez," he says. "Maybe it was paranoia, or lack of sleep, but I started to see more and more police after my second visit to her home," says Johnston.

Sounds like to me he's blaming the Cuban state for the Immigration Department being "tipped off" that they left Havana. It also sounds like the Immigration Department is in actuality referring to the Cuban Immigration Department and not the US embassy or something.

In other words, the US license to travel in Cuba said "you can't leave Havana" and the Cuban Immigration Department decided to enforce the license. How? By spying on the students.