U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan Crosses Mexican Border

Washington, Jul 19.- The 23rd Pastors for Peace Caravan will cross the Mexican border on Thursday carrying 100 tons of donations that it will take to Cuba, in a challenge to the U.S.-imposed economic, financial and commercial blockade on the island nation. The caravan members will depart in the morning from McAllen, Texas, and will cross the Hidalgo international bridge, Canadian activist Tamara Hansen told Prensa Latina.

They are ready to face possible obstacles from the U.S. border guard as in previous years, when authorities held the convoys and even confiscated some items from the donations.

The shipment consists of buses and items for sports, health and education, some of the sectors most affected by Washington's hostile policy on Cuba.

According to Hansen, coordinator in the communities of Vancouver in solidarity with Cuba, during the trip, her colleagues will speak about the obstacles Washington has set to hinder the legal processes of Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino and Rene Gonzalez.

The former four antiterrorist fighters are serving long prison terms for preventing violent actions against Cuba organized on U.S. territory.

Rene was released in October 2011 after serving 12 years in prison, but he must remain in the United States for three years on parole.

After crossing the border, Hansen added, they will continue their trip to the Mexican city of Tampico, where the humanitarian aid will be shipped to Cuba.

Several Cuba solidarity organizations will hold a cultural event on Friday at Plaza de la Libertad (Liberty Square) in that Mexican city to repeat their opposition to the U.S. blockade and end the tour of nearly 90 communities in Canada and the United States, which began in early June.

A score of people from the two countries joined 60 activists from different nations in the ongoing U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan, which is scheduled to arrive in Havana on Saturday.

All nine routes of the convoy arrived on Wednesday in MacAllen, where the activists coordinated the final actions to guarantee the departure of the humanitarian shipment from the port of Tampico and its successful arrival in Havana.

The late U.S. Reverend Lucius Walker founded this solidarity project in 1992 with the objective of bypassing Washington's blockade and taking humanitarian aid and medicines on yellow school busses to Cuba without requesting an authorization or a license from U.S. federal authorities. (Radio Cadena Agramonte).