 BORDER NEWS
On the last day of 1999, the return of five Cuban refugees to Cuba by the US Coast Guard brought the total number of Cubans the US has repatriated during 1999 to 1,108, according to the Cuban state-run media. This is the largest number of would-be immigrants returned to Cuba since the US and Cuba signed a new migration agreement in 1994. Since that agreement was signed, more than 2500 Cubans have been returned to the island by the US.
Despite the protests of many community activists, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, and several US Representatives, 411 migrants apprehended off the coast of Florida just after midnight on New Year’s Eve will be returned to their home countries. The overwhelming majority of these migrants are Haitian, prompting many to see this incident as proof of an unfair US policy toward Haitians, who do not receive the same favorable treatment as Cubans. Any Haitian who arrives here without proper documentation is subject to deportation.
Two large groups of migrants were stopped in Arizona as they attempted to enter the US during the last days of 1999, resulting in the apprehension of over 275 people. The two groups, one of more than 100 people and the other 175 people, were the largest groups stopped in many months.
The Iranian national soccer team has left Iran to play three matches scheduled in the US. The planned exhibition matches, which were put in doubt after an incident involving the fingerprinting of a group of Iranian clerics in the US for an academic conference, are proceeding because the fingerprint requirement was waived. The three games include one match against the US national team. These teams have not met since the 1998 World Cup, when Iran beat the US 2-1. The Iranian team has not played in the US in more than 20 years.
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