Passengers arriving from Cuba face enhanced security screening

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As if the ignominies faced by travelers to/from Cuba weren't enough, last week the Transport Safety Authority announced United States strengthened security measures at its airports for passengers from 14 countries, including Cuba. Why? Because Cuba is officially listed as a "state sponsor of terrorism," along with Sudan, Syria, and Iran.

The new security procedures follow the botched Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner traveling from Amsterdam.

Actually, Cuba got out of the terrorism sponsorship business two decades ago. So why is it still on the list (other than to keep Miami's radical Cuban-Americans happy)? Because, says the State Dept., it still harbors more than 70 terrorist fugitives, not least one dozen members of the Black Panthers still on the FBI-wanted list. True enough. A few years ago, I actually bumped into one of the Basque ETA terrorists living in Santa Clara. (It wasn't pretty. When he found out I was English, he stuck both thumbs in the air and screamed "I.R.A.!" into my face.)

But, as Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson commented, "Cuba is not a failed state where swaths of territory lie beyond government control; rather, it is one of the most tightly locked-down societies in the world, a place where the idea of private citizens getting their hands on plastic explosives, or terrorist weapons of any kind, is simply laughable."

Travelers now arriving in the U.S. from Cuba can expect extra scrutiny, including full body scans and pat-downs. “The screening “could also include explosive detection technology or advanced imaging technology where it’s available," says a TSA spokesman.

That said, I returned home from Cuba last week without any undue treatment by U.S. Immigration and Customs. No pat-down. No bag search. "Welcome home, Mr. Baker!"

Click here to read the TSA security directives