December 17, 1999
Web posted at: 1:18 p.m. EST (1818 GMT)

In this story: 'Unfair practices ... against the detainees' 'The warden and I are OK' RELATED STORIES, SITES

ST. MARTINVILLE, Louisiana (CNN) -- A prison guard held hostage in the St. Martin Parish Jail by Cuban detainees was freed overnight and two Cuban hostage-takers have surrendered, authorities said Friday.

BACKGROUND: Excerpts from comments by hostages Cuban detainees in the U.S.     TRANSCRIPT WCAC-FM interview with hostage takers   MESSAGE BOARD Crime and punishment US/Cuba relations

Deputy Brandon Boudreaux was released and is doing fine, according to St. Martin Sheriff Charles Fuselier. Two other prison personnel are still being held hostage -- Warden Todd Louvierre and deputy Jolie Sonnier.

The hostages were taken captive five days ago by Cuban detainees demanding they be allowed to leave the United States.

The two Cubans who turned themselves in were identified as Mario Mora and Gerardo Santana. They are being held by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Their surrender and the release of Boudreaux happened during the night, but was not announced until midmorning. Three female prisoners also were released overnight.

Negotiators said the releases came as the result of negotiations, which are continuing.

Negotiators said there are now 13 people in the warden's office -- six Cuban detainees, five female inmates and the two hostages.

Fuselier said the Cuban rebels no longer have control over any inmates other than the five.

After his release, Boudreaux went immediately to see his grandfather who was dying. "His grandfather just died," said Fuselier. "He has been ill. It was nice that he could see him before he died."

Late Thursday, some of the hostages used the jail's loudspeakers to call for their captors' freedom.

The hostages, allowed to speak publicly for the first time, asked authorities to provide the inmates with a helicopter to escape. The Cubans have said they are willing to go anywhere -- including Cuba, which doesn't want them back.

Louvierre, who has been trapped in his own jail since Monday, even spoke out against U.S. policy involving Cuban immigrants with criminal records.

"We are trying to publicize the unfair practices that the United States has put into action against the detainees and their families," said Louvierre, his amplified voice crackling through the dark outside the jail.

There have been no known injuries to the hostages. No firearms are involved and the hostages are wielding makeshift knives.

The Cubans are among thousands of illegal immigrants housed by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service at jails across the United States.

The Cubans involved in the Louisiana uprising have completed sentences for various crimes in the United States, ranging from burglary to rape to aggravated assault.

However, the U.S. government won't release them to American soil because it considers them subject to deportation, and there is no agreement between the United States and Cuba to have them sent back.

"The warden and I are OK. Hopefully they'll get us out of here soon," said Sonnier, a 24-year-old guard. "Give them a helicopter with fuel to get the federal detainees out of here as soon as possible."

While a helicopter later did fly over the jail, there was no immediate explanation from authorities as to its origin.

Correspondent Eric Horng contributed to this report