Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 13 Mountain Gateway officials who have been separated from their families and wrongly imprisoned in Nicaragua. Our Founding Fathers in America established our First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom of religion. While we are blessed that the United States ensures these rights, other countries and governments do not offer these same liberties. Mountain Gateway is an evangelic ministry based in Texas that desires to make Jesus Christ's name known to all nations. The organization has had relations with Nicaragua since 2013, establishing churches, humanitarian relief projects, and a fair trade coffee farm that provides income to rural residents. This past year, Mountain Gateway held a series of mass religious worship services in Nicaragua with the government's approval. Throughout eight separate gatherings, more than 1 million people attended. The Nicaraguan Government began arresting Mountain Gateway affiliated personnel shortly after their most recent service in Managua on false claims of money laundering. Thirteen Mountain Gateway officials are currently being held in prison with no access to legal counsel, no visits from their relatives, and no access to the allegations against them. Beside me are pictures of a family that has been separated because of this catastrophe. The children, who are also U.S. citizens, are currently separated from their family due to the wrongful imprisonment of their parents.…”