A person has a right to live in freedom. In this case both options are not possible - it's appears we must choose one or the other. But on closer examination that's not the case. After debating this extensively with a lot of people I realize I was wrong. Not about the right to freedom trumping the right of custody, I still feel that way, but I was wrong to make a sweeping generalization that all those who disagree are boneheads.
Some people think the custody right is more important than the freedom right.
Some pick it because they don't believe things are all that bad in Cuba. For some it's the sheer delight of seeing a father, any father, get custody. This emotional response is understandable considering that fathers are routinely screwed in every American family court. Some people feel that the right of a child is subordinate to the right of the parent. And some, of course, really are boneheads.