Thread: U.S. Grants Relatives of Orlando Zapata Tamayo Visas to Emig

U.S. Grants Relatives of Orlando Zapata Tamayo Visas to Emigrate as Refugees

Published February 19, 2011

Reina Luisa Tamayo, the mother of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, has repeatedly said she will not leave Cuba without her son's ashes.

Relatives of deceased political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo received this week visas permitting them to emigrate as political refugees to the United States, a member of the family told EFE Friday.

Reina Maria Ortiz Tamayo, Orlando Zapata's sister, said that 13 family members received visas on Tuesday from the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, and must now undertake "other procedures to see what happens."

"We don't have money for traveling," Ortiz said on the phone from her home in the eastern town of Banes.

She also said that at present the family has no idea what is going on with the process of disinterring the body of Orlando Zapata, who was buried in the Banes cemetery after dying behind bars in February 2010 following a hunger strike.

Last October the Cuban government, through the Catholic Church, offered the Zapata Tamayo family the chance to leave Cuba.

But Reina Luisa Tamayo, the mother of the dead prisoner, said on several occasions that she will not leave the country until she can take her son's ashes with her.

She said last November that officials at the Public Health Ministry told her that authorization existed for exhuming the remains of her son and for cremating them, but apparently the exhumation process has been delayed.

Zapata's family also said that Reina Luisa Tamayo was arrested this morning by State Security officials as she was leaving her house in Banes.

Some family members said that the woman is in confinement at a police station, presumably for showing "disrespect" for the authorities.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politi ... z1EQPNOsua

Normally this wouldn't mean a lot, now it's just another slap in the face!

"NO! VACANCY!"

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Normally this wouldn't mean a lot, now it's just another slap in the face!

"NO! VACANCY!"

i agree , in better times we COULD possible afford to take in poltical refugees, but nowadays , our people can barely feed themselves , not to mention there are no jobs ....

sorry , we cannot afford to take in anymore pennyless poltical regugees... if they want to come here they should be able to prove that they won't be a burden on our society ...

Reina Maria Ortiz Tamayo, Orlando Zapata's sister, said that 13 family members received visas on Tuesday from the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, and must now undertake "other procedures to see what happens."

Notice how it's never just ONE visa, in this case it's 13 visas since they have to bring the entire family! How much more of this can the US tolerate?

Good grief!!!