Homeland Security Watching Cuba Travelers, Terrorists Free to Roam
April 29, 2004
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the branch of Homeland Security entrusted with tracking terrorist funding, reported that at the end of last year they had only four agents pursuing the assets of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, while almost two dozen were working on Cuban embargo violations.
"The Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations…and collected just $9,425 in fines…since 1994" for terrorism financing. And yet, "OFAC opened 10,683 enforcement investigations since 1990 for possible violations…of the economic embargo against [Cuba], and collected more than $8 million in fines since 1994, mostly from people who sent money to, did business with or traveled to Cuba without permission," according to the Associated Press.
This tremendous disparity in OFAC funding represents the lengths to which the Bush Administration will go to cater to the right-wing exile community in Miami in hopes of securing Florida's 25 electoral votes.
"The magnitude of the discrepancy is just stunning…we're chasing old ladies on bicycle trips in Cuba when we should be concentrating on using a significant tool against shadowy terrorist organizations," commented William Delahunt (D-MA), in response to this disturbing misappropriation of Homeland Security funds.
