Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-04
REFUGEES
Continued From Page Al


in their own words Gin some
cases freely translated from
SPANISH, is why they came to
the United States:
A former diplomat who
works as a receptionist at an
art gallery felt like I had
a stone crushing my chest. I
couldn't breathe. I was picked
up twice and Intercepted by
police. They accused me of
burning some cars in a place I
had never been"
Holds a Job as Busboy
A former government office
worker, now a busboy-"I
worked In the Batista govern
ment, but I also worked for
the government before Batista.
II lost my job in a reorgani-
cation" could not get work
not even swinging a pickaxe.
The government forbade any,
one from hiring anybody who
had anything to do with the
Batista government"
A former university profess
sor-"With the books of Marx
and Lenin, I was still able to
teach democracy using their
very words and the speeches of
Fidel. I was accused of using
counter revolutionary mate
rails. but my students defended
me. If I had been found guilty
I could have been jailed, shot,
inSulted, or tortured, as some
of my colleagues were"
Washington is ahead of
many other large cities in the
country, including Philadelphia,
as a settling place for Cuban
refugees, a spokesman for the
Department of Health, Edu-
cation and Welfare's Cuban
refugee program said. Factors
contributing to the influx here,
as outlined by the spokesman
and Cubans themselves, are:
/. The overcrowding of refu-
gees in the Miami-Dade County
area of Florida, the chief entry
point for Cubans. just one
hours flight from Havana.
Almost all who stay in Miami
draw on special federal relief
Cup to 500 per month maxi
mum for a family In direct
cash assistance).
Only Minimal Needs Met
The fading prospects for an
early overthrow of Castro. The
failure of the BAY Of Pigs"
invasion last April was the pin
which pricked the dream of an
immediate return to the home
land. Being next door to Ha-
vana, therefore, does not have
the attraction that it did.
8. Federal assistance in Mi
ami meets only the "minimal"
needs Zone refugee here said it
costs $75 a month in the Miami
area to rent just an efficiency
apartment).
HEW Is encouraging volun-
airy resettlement. AS Of late
last November, HEW has had a
policy Of cutting off aid to
refugees in Miami who refuse
a "bona-fide" offer Of resettle-
ment. This includes a promise
of a job. transportation ex-
penses to the place of resettle-
ment. and the assistance Of one
Of four voluntary agencies CO.
operating with HEW in the re-
settlement program. ..
4. The existence here Of a
substantial Latin American.
Spanish speaking community.
and a large hotel-restaurant
industry, various international
organizations, such as the
International Monetary Fund,
Pan American Union (Organi-
cation of American States) ,
and Inter-American Develop
ment Bank, and the Federal
government, all of which have
found the skills and knowledge
of Cubans useful.
Early last year, only one out
of three Cuban refugees in Flor
ida, when offered a chance Of
resettlement, took it. Now more
accept than decline, the HFW
spokesman said.
Although the Senate sub
committee on refugees and es-
capees heard testimony last
December that idlenesS, juve-
nile delinnIIennv opd ronioI