(25 Feb 1996) Spanish/Eng/Nat
Several hundred protestors gathered at Miami's Opa-Loca airport on Sunday to protest against the shooting down of two planes belonging to an anti-Castro group by the Cuban Government.
Cuban-Americans and Florida Congress members are calling for severe punishment from the national and international communities against Fidel Castro.
Protestors yelled and waved banners at Miami's Opa-Loca airport where the Brothers to the Rescue exile group have their headquarters.
They were there to protest against the Cuban government shooting down two planes belonging to the group.
The Brothers to the Rescue group was founded five years ago with a mission to rescue people fleeing Cuba.
The group flies daily runs over the Straits between Florida and Cuba, helping to rescue thousands of refugees who have fled Cuba on rafts.
Grieving relatives of those on board the two missing planes also gathered at the headquarters and spoke about their despair.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
I hope to God it is not true, but I don't have any hope that my nephew will return.
SUPER CAPTION: Salvador Alejandrez, uncle of missing pilot
Politicians have also spoken out against the act by the Cuban Government.
Some members of Congress are calling for the national and international communities to take severe action against Fidel Castro.
Florida Congresswoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen attended the demonstration and spoke with the protestors.
She is calling for a get-tough policy on Cuba.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
The National Security Council, they are meeting right now, what we have words for them is to use this as an impetus to have a get tough policy on Fidel Castro. We did it in Haiti against the corrupt regime of General Cedras, we had a naval blockade, we immediately went to the U-N Security Council, we asked our allies to cooperate with us and establish an international embargo and if we were able to do that with a regime that was only a few years old, why are we not able to do that and pass these get tough measures against Fidel Castro with a regime that is over three decades old and doesn't get any better.
SUPER CAPTION: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican Congresswoman from Florida
The U-S Coast Guard and Navy are continuing their search in international waters for the four missing people.
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