Activists Face Border Harassment and Media Smears

Upon returning to the United States, more than 20 aid convoy activists were detained for hours and interrogated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Miami International Airport. Some had their laptops and phones seized.

“They are directly trying to instill fear in us,” said one activist in Miami shortly after being released.

The detentions were not limited to the United States. Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila was arbitrarily detained in Panama City while trying to make a connecting flight home.

In Miami, activists said that questions asked by border agents had seemed politically motivated, and had little to do with any genuine security concerns. One activist said agents criticized the visit as a “bad look,” telling him that the Cuban people wanted Trump to “take over” the island.

“The fact that they took my phone and laptop, honestly it was worth it, because I got to deliver not only the 6,300 pounds of aid that we brought, but my partner and I brought over 100 pounds of aid in our own bags,” said Code Pink's Leonardo Flores.

While border agents were harassing people in Miami, propagandists launched a wave of attacks and misinformation. The Washington Post editorial board, for example, branded the activists “useful idiots” and tried to justify U.S. sanctions on the bogus claim that Cuba is a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

For a thorough breakdown of the slander campaign, check out "How to Slander a Humanitarian Mission" in Current Affairs, written by Alex Skopic and Nathan J. Robinson, both of whom were on the convoy and reported from Cuba.