LET THEM STAY

Feuding exiles could cause political pain for president (PETER WALLSTEN, Jul. 25, 2003, Miami Herald)

The Bush administration's decision this week to send 12 Cuban migrants back to the island has unleashed a wave of anger among exile leaders who, for the first time, are openly questioning their commitment to the Republican president.

The fury has created a public feud between top leaders of the influential Cuban American National Foundation, who say their loyalty to Bush in the 2000 election is proving worthless, and Miami-Dade County's three Republican Cuban-American members of Congress, who have aligned themselves closely with the president. [...]

The mounting tensions underscore the widening differences within the Miami exile community over how a changing but still-powerful voting bloc can influence decisions in Washington.

Typically, Florida's 400,000 Cuban-American voters align almost uniformly behind Republicans.

More than eight in 10 backed the president and his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, in 2000 and 2002 -- a bloc that many activists say is responsible for handing the president Florida's critical electoral votes three years ago and putting him into office.

It's a disgraceful policy, one Mr. Bush shouldn't be party to, and the Cuban-American community should turn up the pressure. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 25, 2003 10:47 AM