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PRESS
RELEASE
<br>
July 17, 2007, 8:30am <br>
for immediate release<br><br>
CONTACTS: IFCO/Pastors for Peace<br>
McAllen: Ellen Bernstein 646/319-5902<br>
New York: Lucia Bruno 212/926-5757, 347/423-4330<br>
<br><br>
PASTORS FOR PEACE CUBA CARAVAN DETAINED BY HOMELAND SECURITY:<br>
OFFICERS CURRENTLY SEARCHING VEHICLES, 'DETAINING' COMPUTERS<br>
126 U.S. Citizens and International Activists Challenging Immoral U.S.
Blockade of Cuba<br><br>
<br>
The 18th Pastors for Peace caravan to Cuba approached the Pharr
International Bridge at the Texas/Mexico border this morning at 6:30am.
They found that the International Bridge was blocked off by local
police. The caravan was diverted into the US Customs lot, where
Customs and<br>
Border Patrol officers proceeded to X-ray and search the vehicles.
Nearly 50 officers spent nearly two hours unloading and reloading
crutches, wheelchairs, commodes, and medical supplies from the
vehicles. They located and 'detained' 12 computers from the
caravan.<br><br>
"This is a battle of David and Goliath and Goliath knows that he's
losing," said Rev Luis Barrios, member of the IFCO/Pastors for Peace
board of directors. "What they are taking from us today is
purely symbolic. They are trying to show us that they are in
charge. But we know that we are the<br>
ones in charge, and that the people's power will prevail."<br><br>
The Pastors for Peace caravan, 12 brightly painted vehicles carrying 126
activists and 90 tons of aid, plans to cross into Mexico later today on
its way to Cuba. The caravan is a direct nonviolent challenge of the U.S.
economic blockade of Cuba, which prevents the Cuban people from
accessing<br>
much-needed supplies. The caravan also challenges the travel blockade,
which seeks to prevent U.S. citizens from traveling to Cuba. <br>
Two years ago, US government officials spent a whole day seizing computer
aid CPUs, modems, cables, and toner cartridges from the 16th
IFCO/Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba. IFCO/Pastors for Peace struggled
for nearly a year to finally get that aid released. Two weeks
ago,<br>
the Bush Administration detained medical aid for Cuba at the Maine-Canada
border—hospital gowns, stethoscopes, even breast pumps although
they allowed the very same sort of aid to pass into the U.S. from
Vancouver, Toronto, and Winnipeg. Demonstrations continue in Canada
and<br>
the US for the release of that aid.<br><br>
"We are going to allow Homeland Security a couple of weeks to
reconsider their decision to seize these computers today," said Rev
Lucius Walker, Jr, executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace. "By
then we will have returned from Cuba. Our supporters around the US
will have contacted their<br>
elected officials to let them know about the pettiness of the US
government's policies toward Cuba. And we will be prepared to mount yet
another campaign to win the release of this humanitarian aid<br>
for our sisters and brothers in Cuba."
<br><br>
"Our caravans are like water dropping onto a rock," said Rev.
Diane Baker of Dallas, TX. "The rock may seem impenetrable, but we
just keep on keeping on -- because the water always wins."<br><br>
Pastors for Peace is a project of the Interreligious Foundation for
Community Organization (IFCO), which has been working for social justice
since 1967. Photographs of the caravan are available at<br>
<<a href="http://www.pastorsforpeace.org/%3Ewww.pastorsforpeace.org" eudora="autourl">
http://www.pastorsforpeace.org/>www.pastorsforpeace.org</a> .<br><br>
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