OLYMPIC REPORT 16 DAYS TO THE GAMES : Cubans Awaiting Word on Their Fate

From an immigration processing center in the middle of the desert, two members of Cuba’s Olympic boxing team waited Tuesday to hear if they would be accepted into the United States or returned to their Communist homeland.

“These guys have been fighting since they’ve been 9 years old,” said Al Rogers, a spokesman for the law firm representing the men. “They’re holding up OK.”

Ramon Garbey and Joel Casamayor slipped away last week during free time while the 12-member Cuban team was training in Guadalajara, Mexico. The men are being held in their own cell in the El Centro processing center, about 115 east of San Diego.

A decision is expected today or after the Independence Day holiday, said immigration attorney Frank Ronzio, who is requesting the men be allowed to go to Los Angeles if their application is accepted.

During Monday’s interview with immigration officials, the two were asked to reconstruct their treatment in Cuba and at the Olympic training camp in Guadalajara, said Rogers, who attended the proceeding.

Rogers said the men reported being punished for years for refusing to sign a document that pledged their loyalty to President Fidel Castro’s Communist regime.

Garbey, 25, had served a three-month jail sentence in Cuba several years ago for refusing to join a neighborhood patrol. His brother, also a boxer, is serving a 15-year jail term for refusing to become an active member of the Caribbean island’s Communist movement, Rogers said.

Casamayor, 24, has been homeless since 1992, Rogers said. His car was taken away and at times he was denied money to buy food because he refused to sign the document “countless times,” Rogers said.