Repatriated Cuban Rafter Imprisoned, Found Dead

Repatriated Cuban Rafter Imprisoned, Found Dead

at 9:11 PM Monday, November 24, 2014

Last week, an 18-year old Cuban rafter, Dario Andino Leon, who had been repatriated by the U.S. Coast Guard after being intercepted at sea and imprisoned by

the Castro regime, was found dead in a prison cell.

Andino Leon apparently committed suicide.

He had been intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard just 25 miles off the coast of Florida and given a routine asylum interview by a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") officer.

Despite the interview, Andino Leon was repatriated to Cuba, where he was transferred -- along with two fellow travelers -- to a military hospital.

The rest of the repatriated rafters were released, but Andino Leon was placed in an isolation cell at the headquarters of Cuban State Security.

He was denied contact with his family and purportedly accused of deserting from mandatory military service.

Three days later, the authorities transferred Andino Leon to a military prison in Cienfuegos, where he died.

Why didn't the USCIS official grant this young man asylum?