Cuban exile lays down law on US entry

A Cuban baseball star who was given special clearance to enter the United States after escaping to the Bahamas is refusing to take up the offer until his fellow passengers are also allowed into the US.

Orlando Hernandez, whose baseball-star brother, Livan, found fame and fortune in the US after defecting from Cuba two years ago, was one of eight passengers on a small boat picked up by US coastguards in Bahamas waters this week. Within 36 hours, he, his girlfriend and another baseball player were told they could enter the US. The other five were detained pending repatriation to Cuba.

The case highlights the use of discretion in US asylum policy towards Cubans and the exceptions made for sporting and entertainment figures.