State Department Turns Away Veterans Protesting Ban on Convoy
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WASHINGTON — A group of veterans trying to take food and medicine to Nicaragua protested Friday at the State Department, but officials refused to meet with them over an order barring their convoy of trucks and buses from leaving the country.
Police blocked the circular drive in front of the State Department after several trucks and vans rolled past the diplomatic entrance.
More than a dozen officers were called to keep the chanting members of the Veterans Peace Convoy away from the doors of the building. State Department spokeswoman Ellen Bork said officials refused to talk with the group because the matter is in litigation.
The veterans filed a federal lawsuit in Laredo, Tex., contesting a U.S. Customs order barring them from leaving the country at Laredo unless they posted bond and signed an agreement to return the aging fleet of 38 school buses and pickup trucks to the United States.
Customs seized four of the convoy’s vehicles in Laredo and another four had mechanical problems and didn’t make the trip.
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