( CNN ) -- The brief detention in Havana , Cuba , last week of a Portland , Oregon , church group comes on the heels of the detention of an American contractor and could indicate an increasingly chilly reception for some American visitors , according to the church travelers . The December 26 trip for 14 members of the First Unitarian Church of Portland is a reminder of the entrenched tensions between Cuba and the United States despite the Obama administration 's loosening of previous restrictions . The church group was traveling on a U.S.-issued license and planned to do humanitarian work . The group was denied entry to Cuba . Part of the group spent the night detained inside the Havana airport before being put on a plane to Mexico , the church 's social justice minister , the Rev . Kate Lore , told CNN . The most recent trip was under a religious license , but the bulk of the mission was to be devoted to projects such as an AIDS clinic and teaching women how to make baby clothes . The church made three trips in November without incident , but things went sour almost immediately after the 14 volunteers exited the plane in December , one of the participants , Jacquie Jones , told CNN . Most of the group passed through customs without a problem , but five members of the group were stopped and had their passports and licenses checked , Jones said . Jones said she told the Cuban officials , `` We love the Cubans . We have many friends here ; there is no reason to keep us out of the country . '' The Cuban authorities told the five that they were not allowed inside Cuba because they were there for religious reasons and forced them to wait for almost an hour and a half before putting them on a commercial flight back to Mexico , from where they had traveled . Jones pointed out the U.S. gives travel permits to Cuba for religious work , but the island , at least in this case , rejected the group for the same reason . `` It 's a total Catch-22 , '' she said . The reason for the brusque treatment is likely because of the detention of another American earlier this month , several church members said . The detained man , whose name has not been released , is a subcontractor for Development Alternatives Inc. , an international development group on contract with the U.S. government to promote human rights in Cuba . Cuban leader Raul Castro said that the man was detained because he was distributing satellite communications equipment in order to destabilize Cuba . For nearly a half a century , the United States has maintained a trade embargo against Cuba that many on the island nation have blamed for their country 's woes . `` I do n't blame the Cuban government , or our government , but I truly believe something has to be done to normalize relations , '' Jones said . The nine others who had already passed through customs faced additional questioning and were detained inside the airport overnight , Carol Slegers , who was part of that group , told CNN . Later , it was learned that Cuban authorities considered imprisoning them , she said . Instead , they were left to find a place to sleep on the floor of the airport . The group ended up sleeping underneath a staircase , using fabric they brought for the clothes-making project as sheets , Slegers said . The next morning , they were put on a plane to Mexico . The Cuban officials `` were rude and cold and indifferent , '' Slegers said . `` It was very psychologically disarming . '' But , Slegers and others made clear , they were not mistreated by the Cubans . `` We 're upset because of the treatment , but ultimately , we want the policy to change , '' she said . `` I hope goodwill and improvement of relations will come out of this incident , moving the two countries beyond the my-belt-is-bigger-than-your-belt diplomacy of the last half century . ''
Incident could indicate an increasingly chilly reception for some American visitors . Group traveling on a U.S.-issued license , planned to do humanitarian work . American authorities put one back on plane to Oregon ; rest spend the night on airport floor . In another recent incident , an Cuban contractor was detained .