UPDATE: Sept, 2004 - US Governments gives Medical Students "special understanding" for travel to Cuba!!!

Dear students, parents, friends and supporters of the Latin American Medical School scholarship program:

We are very pleased to let you know that thanks to your persistent hard work, and all your calls and letters and faxes to the State and Treasury Departments; and thanks to the caring and strategic interventions of members of the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses; and thanks to the specific intervention of Secretary of State Colin Powell; and thanks to the avalanche of concern expressed by parents and friends of the medical students, and by members of IFCOs national network of supporters an understanding has been reached with the US government which will allow for the full continuation of the scholarship program for US students at the Latin American School of Medicine.

The arrangement is that 28 members of the US Congress are writing a joint letter to the State and Treasury Departments on behalf of all the medical students current students as well as future enrollees. The State and Treasury Departments, for their part, have announced that they will grant travel authorization so that all the enrolled students will be able to legally continue their studies, and to legally travel to and from school. As far as we know, this is the ONLY exception that has been made so far to the Bush administrations draconian new restrictions on travel to Cuba.

All students should expect to receive written confirmation of this arrangement within the next two weeks. (Please make sure that we have your current mailing address!)

So what does this mean for the medical students?

RETURNING STUDENTS: You can go ahead and make your plans to go back to school just like youve done before; you dont need to do anything extra.

NEW STUDENTS: New students will be traveling on August 25, as previously announced. Please be in touch with Ellen Bernstein at the IFCO office to let her know your specific plans.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY), and to their staff members, who have worked tirelessly to help us achieve this historic victory for the US students at the Latin American School of Medicine. If there are other supportive members of Congress whose signatures you think should be added to the letter on behalf of the studentsright to study, please let us know right away!

Thanks again for your dedication and your consistent good work and congratulations on this important victory!

Sincerely,

(Rev.) Lucius Walker, Jr. Executive Director, IFCO

PS: TO ALL THE MEDICAL STUDENTS: PLEASE DONT FORGET TO ARRANGE TO GET YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION!!!