Mexico, U.S. prepare for "mass exodus" of Cubans

The U.S. government has made preparations for a sudden mass migration of Cubans after the death of Fidel Castro, according to recently published WikiLeaks documents. The plan could include a coordinated effort with Mexico to use the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy to stop Cubans fleeing their country by sea.

WikiLeaks is an investigative news website that has been publishing leaked U.S. State Department documents in recent months.

The documents reported in the Mexican news media this week came from discussions between former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Mexican government officials.

The discussions followed a nearly fatal intestinal illness of Cuban President Fidel Castro in July 2006.

Before undergoing lifesaving surgery, Castro turned over power in his country to his brother, Raul.

Raul Castro, who turns 80 years old on June 3, has largely followed policies of his older brother. Fidel Castro reportedly consults with Raul about how to handle the day-to-day politics of Cuba.

Chertoff and Medina discussed the likelihood of a power vacuum in Cuba when the octogenarian Castros and other aging government leaders no longer are in control.

One possibility they mentioned is that defectors from the Cuban Army might create an organized crime threat in the hemisphere that could touch the United States and Mexico, according to the Wikileaks documents.

A summary of the discussion, written by former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Anthony Garza, said the Cuban military personnel might operate like the Russian mafia in Europe.

Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora recommended that a “semi-authoritarian” government take control of Cuba during a transition to democracy.

In a later February 2007 meeting with Mexican Interior Minister Francisco Ramirez Acuna, Chertoff asked whether the Mexican Navy was prepared to stop a mass exodus to Mexico if the Cuban government becomes destabilized after Castro’s death.

Ramirez Acuna said the Mexican government had made plans for a naval blockade, which prompted Chertoff to offer assistance from the U.S. Coast and Navy, Wikileaks reported.

Chertoff also expressed concern about Venezuelans entering Mexico without visas.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a harsh critic of U.S. foreign policy. His alliances with traditional adversaries of the United States – such as Cuba – made Chertoff ask about Mexico’s progress in keeping out Venezuelans who might pose a threat to Americans or Mexicans.

Publication of the WikiLeaks documents coincides with ongoing confrontations between the United States and Cuba.

This week, the Cuban government publicly condemned new U.S. sanctions against the Venezuelan oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

The U.S. government imposed the sanctions after PDVSA sold gasoline to Iran.

Cuba responded with a statement that accuses the United States of “attempts to divide” Latin America that could create “new conflicts,” a Cuban Foreign Ministry statement said.

“When Venezuela is attacked, the same happens to Cuba,” the statement said.

In a separate incident, members of Congress are demanding assurances that Cuba’s plans to drill for oil off the coast of Havana will not create an environmental hazard for the United States.

The Spanish oil company Repsol plans to deliver an oil platform to Cuba in the fall. Drilling is scheduled to begin next year.

About 20 billion barrels of oil have been discovered under the seafloor only 60 miles from Florida.

One proposal from Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) would forbid American companies from assisting Cuba to develop its petroleum industry.

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