Two Cuban-born Americans have filed a potential class-action lawsuit against Carnival Cruises and its Fathom cruise line for allegedly denying them passage to Cuba by boat,
The Miami Herald reports.
The two men, Amparo Sanchez and Francisco Marty, were not allowed to buy tickets for Fathom's cruises to Cuba. They claim in the suit the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was violated, which states that no establishment can discriminate when providing lodging.
Carnival said it is following a law in Cuba that forbids Cuban nationals from returning to Cuba by boat. The company said in a statement that it must abide by laws for the visa, entry, and exit policies of every country.
A representative of the cruise line told Sanchez and Marty that Carnival has been "working on the issue for months," but the company had to follow Cuban law.
Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell said changing the policy would come from "active dialogue with the Cubans."
Protesters gathered outside Carnival's offices to protest the policy, according to
The Herald.
"Our demand is for Cubans to be able to travel normally by boat to their homeland," said Ramon Paul Sanchez, president of the Democracy Movement, which organized the protest, told The Herald.
The Sun-Sentinel called on Carnival to table its planned cruise to Cuban locations, the first for an American cruise line in over 50 years.
The Sentinel's editor Rosemary O'Hara agreed that Cuba has the right to forbid entry to "people it doesn't like." However, she said "it's not OK for American companies to submit to policies that discriminate against Americans."
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