Dad, I Want to Go to La Yuma

Dad, I Want to Go to La Yuma* / Victor Ariel Gonzalez
Posted on April 9, 2014

Havana, Cuba – It's not too surprising that a son of Cuba's Minister of
the Interior recently arrived in the U.S. to stay. Josué Colomé–as this
immigrant is named–is not the first descendent of a high official of the
regime who decided to leave for "enemy" lands, and so join the thousands
of Cubans who arrive in the United States each year in search of
opportunity. It's obvious that the Revolution that dad helped make isn't
good enough. Not even for him.

His father, General Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, is one of the historic
leaders of the Cuban dictatorship. He serves in a key position, given
that he's the guardian of State Security, in charge of administering the
repressive forces, watching friends and enemies alike, as well as
executing exemplary sentences. That is, the largest jailer on the
island-prison. The job of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) one of
the strongest currencies that sustains the regime: fear. The heads of
this institution have always been dark characters who enjoy the greatest
confidence of the Supreme Leader. MININT is the principle guarantor of
the Cuban government (that is the Castro brothers) to exercise their
absolute power.

Thus, although not unique, it's a singular case of apostasy. The son of
the General, who now awaits his residency in the U.S., is one of the few
who know first hand the intimacies of the governmental summit. Josué has
lived among luxuries and complete indifference, and could stay in Cuba
enjoying his surname. However, he preferred to abandon ship.

But that's not the most striking thing: his father having ears that hear
everything, it's tempting to wonder about the following: Did the General
know that his son was preparing to escape? Did the chief of MININT
participate in the plan in some way, or knowing it, did he look the
other way?

It's hard not to suspect it. The Cuban Minister of the Interior could
sin at anything, but not naivete. It may never be clear what, if any,
degree of involvement did the Cuban official have in the happy journey?
Perhaps it's not a crazy assumption that the young Josué, now a refugee
in the USA (waiting on the Cuban Adjustment Act), had the help of his
powerful father to get to his destination through a third country. Then,
the "killer" Adjustment Law would have been very good for the family
interests of the representative of the regime.

*Translator's note: "La Yuma" is what Cubans call the United States and
other foreign countries.

Cubanet, 7 April 2014, Victor Ariel Gonzalez

Source: Dad, I Want to Go to La Yuma* / Victor Ariel Gonzalez |
Translating Cuba -
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