Aside from the “WTF Factor” here which could be Pitted (or not depending on your POV), what happens to people that try to escape Cuba and get sent back in this manner?
Little Elian is a hero and all, but then he was a symbol and not anyone that made a conscious decision to leave Cuba in the first place.
How does Cuba treat these people once they’ve done this?
It depends. If it involved hijacking then 10 or more years is normal.
"The Cuban penal code makes “illegal exit” a crime punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment, if the attempt to leave is nonviolent, or up to eight years if it involves violence or intimidation. Cuba imposes more severe penalties in cases involving hijacking.
Although the Cuban authorities have imposed long prison sentences in some cases, at other times they have briefly detained returnees and then released them."
from http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/print?tbl=RSDCOI&id=3ae6a8bc5a
Thanks, there was a lot of good information there.