93. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1
SUBJECT
- Mini-PRC on Cuban Refugees—April 23, 1980
Dave Newsom and Victor Palmieri chaired an inter-agency Mini-PRC meeting, Wednesday evening, to review the implementation of your decisions on Cuban refugees.2 State issued an announcement (Tab [Page 208] A) at noon, Wednesday, demanding that Castro resume the airlift to Costa Rica, and informing the Cuban-American community that the use of their boats to pick up Cubans “is contrary to U.S. law and policy.”3 Unfortunately, INS and Customs officers in the Miami area were, at the same time, communicating a very different message. Customs was clearing the departure of vessels, and INS was reported by the press that they “would look the other way.” We will work vigorously and rapidly to correct this misimpression.
The law, which INS, Customs, and the other agencies will now actively enforce, applies to two cases: (1) If the owner tries to smuggle Cubans in, he will be subject to penalties of up to five years in prison, fines of $2,000, and the forfeiture of the vessel. (2) If the owner of the boat reports to the INS office (as is the case with the six or seven ships which have already arrived with about 400 people), then INS will fine the owner $1,000 for every passenger who does not have a valid visa. The vessel will be impounded until the fine is paid. INS will begin enforcing this on Thursday.
In the meantime, the Cubans are making clear that Cuban Americans can come and get their relatives as well as some of those who were in the Peruvian Embassy, and there are reports that 50–100 boats are either on their way or are about to go. The last time Castro invited Cuban Americans to pick up their relatives and friends was in 1965–66,4 and the result was an exodus of 250,000 to Florida. The Cuban Government is at the same time blasting us for taking Cubans, but not Haitians, suggesting that we are racists.
As the announcement suggests, we are trying to discourage the Cuban Americans from being used by Castro, who has stopped the airlift to Costa Rica. The other 13 countries that had volunteered to take some of the refugees are just waiting to see whether we will take them all and relieve them of their obligation. Latin American concern about Cuba has diminished in proportion to the degree it has become a U.S. problem.
The Mini-PRC considered the possibility of sending a USG vessel to pick up all the refugees and take them to Costa Rica for processing, but the group ruled out that idea since we cannot get a vessel there until May 4; Castro will never accept the idea, nor would the Cuban-American community or the refugees.
We hope the fines will discourage the Cuban Americans, and Christopher will invite a group of leaders from the community and try to [Page 209] enlist their support. But frankly, if the Cuban community is willing to pay the fine, which is quite small by their standards, they can bring in as many Cubans as Castro lets them.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor, Country, Box 17, Refugees, 4/13–25/80. Secret. Sent for information. On an April 23 covering memorandum, Carter wrote, “We should bite the bullet and get moving to take them in. We cannot enforce a policy to keep them out. It doesn’t help the Haitian problem to play into the hands of Castro on this one. Can’t we become a staging area?”↩
- See footnote 2, Document 90.↩
- Not attached. See footnote 4, Document 92.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, vol. XXXII, Dominican Republic; Cuba; Haiti; Guyana, Document 308.↩