llenged and sunk by the Cuban Coast Guard. The sinkingsparked violent antigovernment demonstrations, to which Castro responded byremoving exit restrictions from those who wished to leave for the United States.Already facing an influx of refugees from Haiti, the United States countered byending automatic asylum to fleeing Cubans because the United Statesconsidered that they were fleeing economic rather than political conditions. Morethan 30,000 people were picked up at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard and taken tothe Guantnamo Bay Naval Base or to refugee camps in Panama. The crisiscame to an end when the United States agreed to issue 20,000 entry visas eachyear to Cubans wishing to enter the country.In February 1996 Cuban authorities arrested or detained at least 150 dissidents,marking the most widespread crackdown on opposition groups in the countrysince the early 1960s. Many were members of the Concilio Cubano, a fledglingcoalition of more than 100 organizations dedicated to political reform.Later that month, Cuban jet fighters shot down two civilian planes that Cubaclaimed had violated Cuban airspace. The planes belonged to Brothers to theRescue, a U.S.-based group headed by Cuban exiles dedicated to helpingCuban refugees. The group used small planes to spot refugees fleeing theisland nation and then reported their positions to the U.S. Coast Guard. TheUnited States condemned the shootings as a flagrant violation of internationallaw; the United Nations also criticized the downing of the planes. Cuba said thatplanes from the same group had previously flown into Cuban airspace anddropped antigovernment leaflets, but Cuba's repeated diplomatic complaints tothe United States about the incidents had gone unheeded. Castro said he didnot directly order the shootings, but acknowledged that in the weeks prior to theincident he had given the Cuban Air Force the authorization to shoot downcivilian planes violating Cuba's airspace.As a result of this...
