Cuba and US Customs/Treasury task force

Posted By: terryf <fabbrisd@aol.com>
Date: 8/29/2001

In Response To: Cancun to Cuba ,is it safe? (temba)

Enough of the ariticles.

1) US Customs and US Treasury are not allowed on-site activity in any Mexican port of departure. This is a by-product of the long standing "feud" between US Federal enforcement agancies and Mexican Federal authorities.

2) US Customs and US Treasury are allowed on-site activity is select Canadian ports of departure. This has been a long standing relationship (reaching back to the post-Prohibition era).

3) There has been increased enforcement activity on the part of both US Custom's/US Treasury/and DEA on several fronts. This has included the addition of "roving" task force officers in select US ports of entry. The primary focus of these activities has been "anit-money laundering" issues, with passenger profiles pointed at the "carrying over USD$10,000" in currency and such issues.

4) The "increase" in Cuba enforcement, as announced by the media from Bush's statements (and remember his brother is Governor of Florida, THE Cuban immigrant state) has received higher media profile that is reality for the nroma TSM type traveler.

5) The cases I have been personallty aware of have involved interdiction in Toronto, as well as pursuit of "high profile" un-licensed travel such as Kevin Costner's movie group. Treasury this week tremporaily "seized" the Hollywood corporate jet that took that group in, since they haad filed a FAA flight plan to Cuba, and yet were unlicensed.

On the civilian regualr travelr cases, a penalty system has been now setup, which includes followup letters from Treasury, and ultimately a maximum fine of $7500. There is also a court for mediation as necessary.

6) Cuba exit stamps are relatively common, and I would estimate the likliehood of receiving a passport stamp on exit from Cuba from personal experience to be 25%.

This is NOT a case of the infamous "TSM $5 tip" - which is a real joke

This is NOT a case of how well you speak or don't speak Spanish.

This IS the caser that the Cuban immigration officers on exit from Cuba are the least experienced officers at the airport. They often don't know, and honestly don't are that US passports are the exception and should not be stamped. There is no way to eliminate the risk of this very unclear and smudged stamp.

7) The normal TSM traveler can minimize the risk on unlicensed Cuba travel.

a) Avoid Canada and use Mexican ports of departure for Cuba

b) If you have a bare passport that gets stamped, use your driver's licence and a notarized copy of your birth certificate for re-entry to the US from Mexico (experience intl travelers always carry a notorised copy of their US borth certificate or naturalization papers as backup to a lost passport

c) A "bare" passport holder, if stamped, should use alternate papers for re-entry and destroys the "old" passport (or runs it thru the washer a couple if times)> get a new passport reissued for your next trip. NEVER use a old passport reported lost/stolen EVER again, DESTROY it. Use of a lost/stolen passport is a major flag internationally (incl Cuba).

d) "Full" passport holders have less risk when stamped in Cuba, since most US immigration officers open to the end-opened page.

e) Alternatively, frequent business travelers should apply for the INS PortPass, which is available free at select major ports of entry before departure, which allows non-passport re-entry back into the US using the PortPASS ID machines

8) Most important, to minimize the risk, frequent unlicensed Cuba travelers bring home memories (incl undeveloped film, or disc digital photo's) - honestly,
a couple of boxes of cigars or a Che t-shirt are NOT worth the trouble.

I hope this "reality check" helps.