• Submitted by: lena campos
• Entertainment
• 02 / 15 / 2013

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Fifteen members of Cuba’s “Guaracheros de Regla” troupe who participated in carnival festivities in the Mexican city of Veracruz, left their hotel and didn’t catch their return flight to Cuba with the rest of the cultural delegation, reported DPA news.

Many islanders take advantage of the proximity of Mexico to the United States to abandon official sports, cultural or other delegations, since if they enter the US overland, they — under an old Cold War policy — are automatically granted the right of residence in that country, although it’s not yet known if this is one of those cases.

“It’s assumed they decided not to return to their country. Their flight destination was Havana, but they didn’t show up to leave,” said the president of the organizing committee of the Veracruz Carnival, Anselmo Estandia Colom, in remarks published by the El Universal Mexican newspaper.

The 15 members had arrived in Veracruz, in eastern Mexico, on February 8 with a delegation of 93 Cubans to participate in a parade of floats. The plan was for them to fly back to Cuba on Thursday night.

Source: Havana Times.org