Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, where three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident were murdered by the tyrannical Castro regime. On February 24, 1996, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena, Armando Alejandre, and Pablo Morales were on a humanitarian mission over international airspace, over international waters when they were illegally and brutally shot down. This mission over the Florida straits sought to save the lives of Cubans fleeing Castro's grip of power in search of freedom. Sylvia Iriondo was rescued in a Cessna and brought to the safety of our shores. You see, Mr. Speaker, Sylvia was aboard the only plane that survived on that fatal day. She recounts how, after seeing the burst of smoke over the skyline, the pilot, Jose Basulto--who, along with Sylvia, has testified before the U.S. Congress--pleaded on the radio for his colleagues to respond. Twenty-two years have passed and justice for the deaths of our American heroes has yet to be achieved. Ruben Martinez Puente, Lorenzo Alberto Perez y Perez, and Francisco Perez y Perez have all been indicted in our U.S. courts for their roles in the murderous Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, but they have yet to be held accountable. I have urged administration after administration to bring these perpetrators to the United States so that they can be prosecuted and justice can be served.…”