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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 23, 2005 Cuba humanitarian mission crosses into Mexico By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune A humanitarian group, including six Ashland residents, delivering 140 tons of aid to Cuba was allowed to cross the U.S.- Mexico border Friday after a nearly 24-hour delay. The New York City-based Pastors for Peace draws international attention each year to the U.S. economic embargo on the communist country. "We are feeling inspired through all of this," said Jaine Palmieri, an Ashland resident with the group, which crossed the border at Hidalgo, Tex. "It’s really great to be getting on the road and finish doing the next part of the project, which is getting hundreds of tons of aid on barges to Cuba." The group typically drives its caravan through X-ray machines at the border, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials approve their entrance into Mexico. This time, U.S. Department of Commerce agents insisted on hand-inspecting the eight buses filled with food, medicine and medical equipment, group members said. Advertisement Calls to the Department of Commerce were not immediately returned. The delay came at a time when the need for aid in Cuba is particularly urgent because of damage caused by Hurricane Dennis, Palmieri said. After searching one bus, officials confiscated computers and other electronic equipment outlawed from exportation to Cuba. Some group members refused to allow their buses to be searched Thursday, fearing more confiscation of items collected through fund-raisers and donation drives throughout the nation. They later agreed to remove electronic equipment from the buses, so that they could be cleared. Six group members stayed behind with the electronics in hopes of delivering the items later, said Mary Ann Jones, another Ashland resident with the group. "We feel the Bush administration is going to get a tremendous amount of pressure on this issue and rightly so for obstructing humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," Jones said. The remainder of the group will fly to Cuba from Mexico’s airport at Tampico. The group could travel to Cuba legally by applying for a humanitarian license. But the group chose not to apply for the license to show its opposition to the embargo, Palmieri said. As a result, the aid workers could face civil and criminal penalties upon their return from Cuba. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail Cuba humanitarian mission crosses into Mexico ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s