---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve…"
description: "\"I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on hijacked airplanes. Wh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png"
---

#  I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a…

![“I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on hijacked airplanes. Why isn't that a national security issue?” quote by Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png)

> “I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on hijacked airplanes. Why isn't that a national security issue?”

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker questions why Cuban arrivals on hijacked planes aren't treated as a national security concern, despite asylum claims.

**In simple terms:** Cuban arrivals raise security questions despite asylum.

Key Takeaway

Consider security implications alongside humanitarian aid.

Themes

immigration security asylum

Mood

concerned thoughtful

Type

policy ethical

When to use this quote

- policy discussion
- airport security
- humanitarian aid
- media analysis

Key Concepts

national security human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- Should security override asylum rights?
- What policies address both concerns?

A Different Perspective

Balancing security with compassion is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Asylums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylums/) [Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuba/) [Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/)

## Related quotes

> [ Those \[Anti-Cubans\] who attack us \[Cubans\] don't represent more than a fraction of 1 percent. ... You \[the foreign news media\] have helped create them. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/those-anti-cubans-who-attack-us-cubans-don-t-represent-more-than-a/)

[Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/)

> [Our borders are much too porous...We want to keep them open, but we also have to be much more careful. ...Right now, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/our-borders-are-much-too-porous-we-want-to-keep-them-open-but-we-also/)

[Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/)

> [Cuba is a poor country. Most of the Cubans who leave only do so if they can find better economic conditions elsewhere. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariela-castro/cuba-is-a-poor-country-most-of-the-cubans-who-leave-only-do-so-if/)

[Mariela Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariela-castro/)

> [The fact that that's the difference between Mexicans and Cubans is pronounced. It's so immediately recognizable, the way a Cuban speaks, the way a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-elizondo/the-fact-that-that-s-the-difference-between-mexicans-and-cubans-is/)

[Hector Elizondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-elizondo/)

> [There is no one more talkative than Cubans, Cubans express their feelings, there's nobody more rebellious and revolutionary than a Cuban and I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/there-is-no-one-more-talkative-than-cubans-cubans-express-their/)

[Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/)

> [In all of my movies I've tried to address the need for man - not just Cubans - to have a dream and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/in-all-of-my-movies-i-ve-tried-to-address-the-need-for-man-not-just/)

[Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/)

> [I'll know America is in bad shape when Cubans in Miami get in the water and swim back to Cuba.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/i-ll-know-america-is-in-bad-shape-when-cubans-in-miami-get-in-the/)

[Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/)

> [I think generally speaking, both people are trying to be free from the abuses of the white racist North American authorities. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/i-think-generally-speaking-both-people-are-trying-to-be-free-from-the/)

[Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/)

> [What are eight million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teofilo-stevenson/what-are-eight-million-dollars-compared-to-the-love-of-eight-million/)

Teofilo Stevenson

> [Cubans are frantic when it comes to appreciating music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/compay-segundo/cubans-are-frantic-when-it-comes-to-appreciating-music/)

[Compay Segundo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/compay-segundo/)

> [Fighters used to be afraid of the Russians, Cubans but then I'd figure them out and figure out how to beat them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennox-lewis/fighters-used-to-be-afraid-of-the-russians-cubans-but-then-i-d-figure/)

[Lennox Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennox-lewis/)

> [Cubans understand that theirs is a country that provides sanctuary for people fleeing oppression. As a nation, they are very proud of this stance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/cubans-understand-that-theirs-is-a-country-that-provides-sanctuary/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [If the U.S. succeeds in destroying the revolution, my status will be like that of most Cubans: I'll be up a creek without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/if-the-u-s-succeeds-in-destroying-the-revolution-my-status-will-be/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [Cubans are a people who suffered from capitalism in the cruelest way, in the social order, the economic order and the political order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/cubans-are-a-people-who-suffered-from-capitalism-in-the-cruelest-way/)

[Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/)

> [ I think there \[on Cuba\] is going to be an extraordinary reception.Cubans are - they want to hold onto their culture, their heritage, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-muir/i-think-there-on-cuba-is-going-to-be-an-extraordinary-reception/)

[David Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-muir/)

## More by Edwidge Danticat

> [“Medicare rewards doctors far better for doing procedures than for assessing whether they should be done at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/medicare-rewards-doctors-far-better-for-doing-procedures-than-for/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [I love the process of cracking the spine for the first time and slowly sinking into a book. That will soon seem old-fashioned, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-love-the-process-of-cracking-the-spine-for-the-first-time-and/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [I remember reading an interview with a writer who said that in nonfiction if you have one lie it sort of messes it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-remember-reading-an-interview-with-a-writer-who-said-that-in/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“Instead I dreamt of walking out of the world, of spending all my time inside with no one to talk to, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/instead-i-dreamt-of-walking-out-of-the-world-of-spending-all-my-time/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“Then what do you want with me?'... 'The pursuit of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/then-what-do-you-want-with-me-the-pursuit-of-happiness/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [I wanted to raise the voice of a lot of the people that I knew growing up, and this was, for the most part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-wanted-to-raise-the-voice-of-a-lot-of-the-people-that-i-knew/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/creating-these-messes-that-go-from-administration-to-administration/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“Nineteen Thirty-Seven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/nineteen-thirty-seven/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“From her experience working with the weak and the sick, she'd learned that the disease you ignore is the one that kills you, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/from-her-experience-working-with-the-weak-and-the-sick-she-d-learned/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [“I owe Oprah and that show a tremendous debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-owe-oprah-and-that-show-a-tremendous-debt/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [The greatest gift anyone can give to a writer is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/the-greatest-gift-anyone-can-give-to-a-writer-is-time/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [I think it is important to reach people through arts and literature, because then you establish a connection that's not an instant crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-think-it-is-important-to-reach-people-through-arts-and-literature/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [All anyone can hope for is just a tiny bit of love, like a drop in a cup if you can get it, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/all-anyone-can-hope-for-is-just-a-tiny-bit-of-love-like-a-drop-in-a/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [I very much love a physical book myself. I think people who have had this experience of also seeing a book come together, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-very-much-love-a-physical-book-myself-i-think-people-who-have-had/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [There is this split between the Haiti of before the earthquake and the Haiti of after the earthquake. So when I'm writing anything set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/there-is-this-split-between-the-haiti-of-before-the-earthquake-and/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

[Explore all 161 Edwidge Danticat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

## More Airplane quotes

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-ve-jumped-out-of-an-airplane-34-times-i-ve-dove-212-feet-under/)

[Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/)

> [I believe that anyone who flies in an airplane and doesn't spend most of his time looking out the window wastes his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/i-believe-that-anyone-who-flies-in-an-airplane-and-doesn-t-spend-most/)

[Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/)

> [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [On the second airplane to france and we're done ! yeyyyyyyyyy !! this one was more full :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmmopy/on-the-second-airplane-to-france-and-we-re-done-yeyyyyyyyyy-this-one/)

Shmmopy

> [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/)

Len Morgan

> [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/)

[Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/)

> [I don't have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-don-t-have-a-fear-of-flying-i-have-a-fear-of-crashing/)

[Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/)

> [From computers to information technology to airplanes, it has been America's unique blend of republican government and free-market capitalism that has allowed us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/from-computers-to-information-technology-to-airplanes-it-has-been/)

[George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/)

> [I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-ve-been-racking-my-brain-i-ve-been-trying-to-figure-out-how-bob/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Sometimes life is like being stuck in the middle-seat of an airplane, next to a ridiculously fat person and a crying baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-is-like-being-stuck-in-the-middle-seat-of-an-airplane/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm sure the most favorite airplane in my career would still be the Sabre F86 cleft wing , which allowed me to be credited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-m-sure-the-most-favorite-airplane-in-my-career-would-still-be-the/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [John Travolta said he sometimes lets his friends take control of his airplane even though they don't know what they're doing. Then Travolta said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/john-travolta-said-he-sometimes-lets-his-friends-take-control-of-his/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

Browse all 935 Airplane quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on hijacked airplanes. Why isn't that a national security issue?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edwidge Danticat"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Airplane"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwidge-danticat-2559_airplane_i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asyl_295126.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are…” — Edwidge Danticat",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edwidge Danticat",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
