U.S. emergency for refugees

Press, 8 May 1980, Page 8

U.S. emergency for refugees

NZPA-Reuter Florida The United States is considering a possible airlift to bring the flow of thousands of Cuban refugees into the United States under its control and end use of the dangerous sea route to Florida. Officials discussed contingency plans yesterday shortly after President Carter declared a state of emergenin Florida, clearing the way for the use of $lO million in Government funds to help to cope with the refugees. The White House said the $lO million would be made available to voluntary organisations caring for the refugees and mofe funds would be made available to Florida state authorities as needed. The Cuban influx officially topped 20,000 yesterday with the arrival in Key West, Florida, of a tug carrying about 800 refugees, the largest number on one ship so far. Most of the refugees have arrived in small boats, as many as 3600 people in a single day. Victor Palmieri, United States co-ordinator for refugees, said an airlift was being considered but gave no details on how. the United States might approach Cuba for permission to begin it. He noted that an airlift in the 1960 s brought thousands of Cuban refugees to ,the United States. President Carter discussed the emergency with a group of Florida Congressmen at the White House yesterday. The presidential press secretary, Jody Powell, said Mr Carter told them that the Cuban President (Dr Fidel Castro) was cynically exploiting his people and endangering their lives because many of

the boats used in the exodus were unsafe. American officials have said that Cuba is deporting criminals and others who dissatisfy it under cover of the exodus. Mr Carter also said that owners of the boats, most:©! them Cuban Americans, were exploiting the emergen, cy by charging exorbitant! fees to Cubans being sent out of the country by the Cuban Government or leiving voluntarily.