Resettlement re-cap: a periodic report from the Cuban Refugee Center, July 1966

              SPONSOR CUBAN REFUGEES
Fulfill Their Faith in Freedom
RESETTLEMENT RE-CAP
FOR   ADMINISTRATIVE    USE
JULY   1966
A PERIODIC REPORT FROM THE CUBAN REFUGEE CENTER — FREEDOM TOWER, MIAMI 32, FLORIDA
U.  S.   DEPARTMENT OF  HEALTH,  EDUCATION,  AND  WELFARE     —    WELFARE  ADMINISTRATION
U.S.  CUBAN  REFUGEE  PROGRAM JOHN FREDERICK THOMAS, Director, Washington, D. C.
HOWARD  H.   PALMATIER, Assistant  Program   Director
MARSHALL WISE, Director of Center HARRY B.  LYFORD, Editor
HAPPY BREAK IN THE ROUTINE OF PROCESSING; RED CROSS GIFTS ARE MIGHTY WELCOME
It's a time for smiles all around when Cuban refugees receive comfort kits during the registration-processing routine at the Opa
Locka "annex" of the U.S. Cuban Refugee Center, Miami.  A Cuban
Bay of Pigs veteran,Nestor F. Williams,of the Center staff, knows
just the right quips for this give-away formality in the name of
the American National Red Cross.  His manner of distribution and
the refugees' quick recognition of the usefulness of the toilet
articles provide a light, happy moment in a sometimes tedious
succession of events.  In the picture, members of the Gilberto J.
Perez family, just arrived by airlift from Cuba, get their packages before they go on, under International Rescue Committee auspices, to join a relative in Elizabeth, N.J.  Red Cross comfort
kits are a tradition in the Cuban Refugee Program, thousands
having been provided by the national organization since the 1961
days of the Cuban influx.  For refugees traveling light the
specially-packed boxes offer a variety of items that spell comfort and convenience.  There are packs for women, for men, and
for young people.  Often, the packs for girls and boys have labels carrying greetings from the American Junior Red Cross members who have helped provide items they hope young Cubans will
like.
DIRECTOR CITES SIGNIFICANCE IN EXODUS FROM CUBA; ANSWERS OFTEN-ASKED QUESTIONS
Addressing the U.S. Committee on Refugees at a meeting in Washington, Program Director John F. Thomas pointed
out a special significance in the current relative-to-relative phase of the Cuban Refugee Program.  He said:
"This is one of the few times in history when a communist country permits an orderly flow of its citizens to escape to a so-called capitalistic country.  For the benefit of the families which have faced separation for such
a long time we hope the permissive nature of the flow will continue.  Our records in Miami show that some 700,000
persons may want to leave Cuba.  This would reduce the population of 6,000,000 considerably.  Castro gains the
property and possessions of the refugees.  We gain their skills.  The refugees gain their freedom."
Mr. Thomas posed several often-asked questions and gave answers, as follows:
What effect is the current influx of refugees having on the labor market?  "The answer is that there is little
impact.  The fact that 63 per cent of our refugee intake is comprised by students, children, and housewives,
indicates that we have only a relatively small reservoir of labor building up in the Miami area.  We have on file
in our Miami Refugee Center over 15,000 requests from employers around the country, seeking Cuban refugees as
workers.  These requests are not for just a single worker, but for, in many instances, hundreds of workers.  If
there is any problem caused by the influx, it occurs in housing, but here again it is not an acute problem, and
is confined to only a few isolated communities."
What is Castro's motivation in permitting refugees to leave in large numbers?  "We have every reason to believe that Castro's government is trying its best to operate on that end in an efficient manner.  This means that
the official policy of the free movement of people, as stated by the central government, is being carried out
down to the lowest level.  Would it not be wonderful if such a policy could be established throughout the world?
Just think how many lives could be saved if it would be possible to have an orderly out-flow of refugees whenever
such a situation as we have in Cuba occurs."
Why do some people who have placed their names with the Cuban Immigration Service for leaving on the airlift
not come out, so far? One can deduce many reasons from the questioning of refugees who arrive in Miami.  One of
the major reasons appears to be that the Cuban government will not permit a male of military age, i.e., 15 to 26
years of age, to depart.  If there is a son or a husband who is denied permission to leave because of military
age, many times the whole family will remain behind.  In other cases it might be that a member of the family
is a political prisoner, and the Cuban government will not, at this time, permit political prisoners to leave.
In some instances the families are caught in a financial situation.  One person applies for an exit permit, the
Cuban authorities make an inventory of all of his property.  If there is evidence that he may have sold his car,
or his house, or withdrawn a sizeable amount of money from the bank within the past year, he will be requested
to replace the item before he is permitted to depart.  Some technicians are held back until such time as a work
replacement can be found.  However, we have been surprised that more than 60 medical doctors have been permitted
to come out on the airlift."
PLEASE SEE PAGE 4 FOR nH0W TO TAKE HELPFUL ACTION IN THE CUBAN REFUGEE PROGRAM --AND WHERE"