A total of three congressmen and two Republican senators, four of them Cuban Americans, sent a joint letter on Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting an assessment of whether the law was followed in permitting the entry of former Castro leader Manuel Menéndez Castellanos into the U.S., and that, if it is confirmed that legal provisions were violated, appropriate action be taken.
The signatories of the document were Republican congress members María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz Balart, and Carlos Giménez; and senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.
"Within all applicable rules and regulations, we request that you assess whether the law was followed in this case and, if not, what specific processes are in place to ensure that a similar mistake does not occur," the letter pointed out, which listed which legal provision might be violated.
INA 212(a)(3)(D)(i) establishes that, "Any immigrant who is or has been a member of or is affiliated with the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party (or subdivision or affiliate of the same), whether national or foreign, is inadmissible."
The USCIS website explains more about this provision in U.S. law by stating: "In general, any immigrant who is or has been a member of or is affiliated with the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party (or subdivision or affiliate thereof), whether national or foreign, is inadmissible" (Chapter 3 - Membership in Totalitarian Parties | USCIS).
The letter adds that "given this prohibition in U.S. law, it would seem likely that a high-level and longtime operative of the Cuban Communist Party and agent of that brutal dictatorship would be inadmissible for entry into the U.S."
"We are outraged that an individual who played a role in oppressing the Cuban people for decades has been allowed to enter the U.S. to spend his retirement in freedom and comfort. For these reasons, we request that you evaluate whether the law was followed in this case and, if not, what actions will be taken to ensure that high-ranking operatives of the Cuban Communist Party who should be inadmissible according to the law are not allowed to enter." concluded the letter.
"Freedom is for the victims of communism, not for the oppressors. I asked @SecBlinken for the immediate cancellation of the visa of Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, former First Secretary of the PCC in Cienfuegos. If he is such a loyal communist, let him spend his retirement in Cuba, not in the U.S.," wrote Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar on X along with another letter in her name sent to Blinken.
Since Manuel Menéndez Castellanos' arrival at Miami International Airport on August 15, where he tried to go unnoticed by wearing a cap, sanitary mask, glasses, and was transported in a wheelchair, a growing discontent has emerged in the Cuban community residing in South Florida.
And the fact is that, as influencers, journalists, and lawyers have persistently pointed out in recent days, on the other hand, there are thousands of citizens from the island in the U.S. who are going through a migratory limbo, and many of them are even under an undeserved threat of deportation.
The letter sent to Blinken and Mayorkas fulfills the wish of lawyer Wilfredo Allen, who indicated that a federal investigation requested by Cuban-American lawmakers from South Florida was the best way to find out why Menéndez Castellanos was able to enter.
"I would like, number one, for the congresspeople to investigate -because it has to be at the federal level- for the senators to find out what happened here? What happened in that interview?" the lawyer questioned.
The lawyer added that even in the event that he had been relieved of his position 20 years ago, "that does not erase the harm he caused before he was removed from his position, nor does it erase the 40 years he spent doing wrong in Cienfuegos, nor does it erase the damage he caused to the country or the harm that people like him have done to Cuba."
At the same time, the Patmos Institute, based in Washington, criticized what it described as the alarming increase in the entry into the U.S. of "officials from the communist system in Cuba," which contrasts with many cases of victims on the island who do not have access to a refugee program, as it has been suspended for years.
After being replaced as the top communist leader in Cienfuegos in 2003 and later becoming the head of the support team for dictator Fidel Castro, a position whose end date is unknown, in 2012 Menéndez Castellanos appeared talking about renewable energies in Cuba during a Mesa Redonda, holding the position of Director of Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Basic Industry (MINBAS).
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