As Restrictions Tighten, Bush Administration Demands Detailed Records on U.S. Citizens Traveling to Cuba

Interview with Luis Rumbaut, attorney and communications director for the Cuban American Alliance Education Fund, conducted by Denise Manzari

In October, IFCO-Pastors for Peace, the Venceremos Brigade and the Cuban American Alliance Education Fund all received requests to furnish information from the U.S. government's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

OFAC's request directs these organizations to list all trips to Cuba, including telephone numbers, dates, names, and addresses for each traveler, with detailed itineraries for each day. The groups also were asked to provide itemization and copies of all payment records, receipts for airline tickets, Cuban airport departure taxes, meals and other detailed information. All were given 20 days to respond and were warned that violations of this order or a failure to respond could result in the imposition of civil and/or criminal penalties. Information provided could serve as the basis for further civil enforcement action.

OFAC is in charge of tracking down and identifying international sources of terrorist financing; however, the Cuba travel ban also falls under OFAC's jurisdiction, which includes monitoring U.S citizens traveling to Cuba. Currently, OFAC dedicates the equivalent of 21 full-time employees to enforce the Cuba Travel Ban, while only 16 people are assigned to the search for Al Qaeda's sources of financial support.

Luis Rumbaut is an attorney, a frequent traveler to Cuba and communications director with the Cuban American Alliance Education Fund. Between The Lines' Denise Manzari spoke with Rumbaut who analyzes the Bush administration's targeting of these three organizations for alleged violations of the Cuba Travel Ban.

For more information, contact Cuban American Alliance Education Fund at (805) 627-1959 or visit their website at www.cubamer.org.

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