Cuban troupe’s reunion held up at McCarran

David Kihara

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004 | 10:48 a.m.

The much-anticipated reunion between 43 members of the Cuban asylum seekers in Las Vegas and six members of the troupe turned sour on Tuesday when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers held the six for several hours at McCarran International Airport.

The six Cuban members had been living in Berlin for three months while they were awaiting approval to come to the United States. They were eventually released from McCarran after "routine" but lengthy interviews on Tuesday, according to officials.

The Cubans who arrived Tuesday had not seen their colleagues in more than three months, which made the planned reunion on Monday all the more of a letdown, according to the producer and director of the troupe's show, "Havana Night Club."

"The whole situation is a disappointment because we wanted to greet them," said Nicole "N.D." Durr, the creator, producer and director of "Havana Night Club" on Tuesday. Durr spoke to reporters at Terminal 2 at McCarran International Airport after waiting more than an hour for the six Cuban asylum seekers to exit the terminal.

Durr was joined at the airport terminal by the entire cast and crew of "Havana Night Club." After lingering at the airport for as long as they could, they returned to the Stardust to rehearse for the night's performance.

"I feel very excited to see them," said Jose David Alvarez Del Valle, one of the performers. "Sometimes you feel really happy or sad to see them because of everything we have been through."

Although the six cast members had been living in Berlin, the troupe in Cuba and America had kept in contact with them by telephone, he said.

Much of Tuesday night's performance hinged on the timely arrival of the six members from Germany because the show's lead singer "Kel" was among the six who were held up by the immigration officials.

When asked what the first thing he would do upon greeting his compatriots, Alvarez Del Valle said, "See if we can handle the show. I am very excited."

One Cuban cast member remains in Germany and is scheduled to arrive in America in seven to 10 days, said Dr. Pamela Falk, the attorney helping the Cubans pursue asylum in America.

The one remaining cast member, who is Alvarez Del Valle's wife, filed paperwork seeking asylum later than the other cast members and therefore her arrival will take slightly longer, Falk said.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, holding the six Cubans for a few hours was a typical procedural matter because of the country they were coming from and the fact that they are seeking asylum.

"This is routine," James Bradley said at McCarran.

Although Bradley declined to comment further, another official, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Seattle, said that holding the Cubans was a procedural matter because they were seeking asylum.

"This is a complicated deal -- it's not like they were coming back home from vacation," said Mike Millen, spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. For asylum seekers arriving in America, "processing takes longer," he said.

The U.S. State Department also lists Cuba as a country that sponsors terrorism. Other countries on that list include Sudan, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

When the six Cubans finally walked through the gates of the airport terminal three and a half hours after their plane landed in Las Vegas, they were clearly excited. All six laughed and smiled as they walked from the terminal to two limousines waiting to take them to the Stardust, where they were scheduled to rehearse briefly before performing at 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

"This is my dream to be here, and I am very anxious to perform," the group's lead singer, Kel, said through an interpreter. He declined to provide his last name.

After taking turns photographing each other in front of the limousines, they piled into the cars.

"This is the greatest thing to be here," said Diurbis, another cast member who arrived from Germany, before she ducked her head into the limousine. She declined to give her last name for safety reasons. "But I left half my heart in Cuba."

A total of 52 Cubans with the "Havana Night Club" are currently in Las Vegas performing at the Stardust. Two Cubans had said they wanted to return to Cuba, and one is currently undecided, Falk said. On Monday, 43 members of the show asked for political asylum at the George Federal Building.

According to Falk, who petitioned the government to get the performers visas for more than three years, the troupe members were granted "special beneficiary parole status" by the U.S. government. Under that designation, the Cubans can apply for residency in the United States one year and one day from their arrival date into America.

By choosing to seek asylum in the United States, many of the Cuban asylum seekers are leaving behind family and friends in Cuba.