Betrayal

I’m deeply saddened by the news about two Cuban exiles who made it big in Florida, but plummeted to disrepute when authorities discovered that they were actually Cuban Intelligence Service agents.

Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were both found guilty of transmitting vital information to Cuban officials about the status of the Cuban exiles in Florida. Carlos was meted out the maximum punishment of 5 years for conspiring to act as an unregistered Cuban agent, while her wife was given a lighter sentence of 3 years for abating her husband’s acts and for not reporting the same to the authorities.

It’s a shame that some of the people whom this country coddled and took care of end up desecrating their new home by betraying the trust reposed to them by the American government. Many Cuban exiles denounced the spouses’ acts, saying that their betrayal and ingratitude have caused some people to question the minority group’s allegiance to their new country.

I don’t know what led the spouses to commit such an act. It’s not as if that they were treated poorly in their community. In fact, many looked up to them as perfect role models. Both defendants were formerly teaching at the Florida State University.

I hope the incident won’t spur racial violence against Cuban exiles. I have a few friends who are of Cuban-decent and I can say that they are exemplary American citizens. While many Cubans are braving immigration authorities from both sides just to try their luck to live the American dream, here comes two exiles who squandered something that many of their former countrymen are constantly risking their lives for.

The punishments inflicted on Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were relatively light. A similar offense committed elsewhere, say in Russia or in North Korea, might have cost them their lives. I wonder why the Cuban Intelligence Service even bothered to employ the services of agents to check the background of certain Cuban exile leaders. They could’ve easily ascertained or verified the same by themselves through the Internet.