23 Returned to Cuba Went Peacefully, Some Seemed ‘Pleased,’ Officials Say
ATLANTA — The 23 Cuban refugees deported from the United States on the first exodus flight to Havana went peacefully, some appearing pleased and a couple joking and laughing, federal officials said Friday.
Bureau of Prisons Director Norman Carlson, who accompanied the refugees on the flight Thursday, said none of the deported Cubans made trouble aboard the plane.
“They were not unhappy, and there were no ill feelings toward anyone,” Carlson said. “In fact, some seemed pleased and a couple were joking and laughing.”
The 23 Cubans were returned to their homeland Thursday as part of an agreement between the Reagan Administration and Cuba allowing deportation of 2,746 refugees at the rate of up to 100 per month. In exchange, as many as 30,000 Cubans a year will be allowed to emigrate to the United States.
Carlson said that a bus staffed with Cuban police was waiting when the plane arrived in Havana. Attorneys for the refugees have said that they face persecution by the Castro government.
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