Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said that Cuba should return four convicted fugitives wanted by U.S. authorities or that the Obama administration should cease further relations with the Communist island.
"We should be pushing Congress: Don't give Cuba anything else," Kerik, who commanded the city's forces during the 9/11 attacks,
told John Gambling Friday on his New York radio talk show. "They've opened up diplomatic relations.
"That's it. Nothing else," Kerik said. "Don't give them anything else."
He was responding to a video released Thursday by Col. Rick Fuentes of the New Jersey State Police warning American tourists to watch for the four fugitives on the island nation,
New Jersey.com reports.
Fuentes' message involved Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted for the 1973 killing of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and later escaped, as well as fugitives Charles Hill, William Guillermo Morales and Victor Manuel Gerena.
Collectively, they were tied to groups responsible for "the deaths of 17 police officers, five American civilians, two members of the U.S. military and a string of 159 bombings," he said in the video.
Kerik's interview came as President Barack Obama was scheduled to go to Cuba on Sunday for a three-day visit. The president announced new diplomatic relations with the island last year.
He told Gambling that as many as 800,000 law-enforcement officers were in service throughout the nation.
"Every cop in this country — every one of them should be pushing every one of their friends, famly members: don't go to Cuba," Kerik said.
"We should try to close down this whole tourism thing for Cuba until we get those people back in this country.
"This tourism opening is going to give Cuba billions of dollars," he added. "Give us those four people.
"They should be in this country. They should be held accountable for their crimes. Give them back to us.
"That wasn't a part of the deal," Kerik said. "That was atrocious."
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