Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, last week all Americans were relieved when three of our own citizens were released and returned home from North Korea. We are happy for them, for their families, and we rejoice in their reunification. However, Mr. Speaker, this success only serves as a reminder that we have American citizens and legal permanent residents being unjustly detained elsewhere around the world, particularly in Iran. We know that the Iranian regime has played this game of detaining citizens from the U.S. and Western nations in an effort to get political and financial concessions from us. They hold these folks hostages, use them as bargaining chips, destroying lives and families in the process. Last year, my south Florida colleague and ranking member on our subcommittee, the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, Ted Deutch, and I held a hearing titled: ``Held for Ransom: The Families of Iran's Hostages Speak Out.'' We heard from Doug Levinson, the son of Bob Levinson, who has been missing in Iran since 2007--11 years. Bob is the longest held civilian hostage in America's history. He is also a constituent of Ted's, and I know that Congressman Deutch has worked tirelessly over the years to do whatever he can to bring Bob home and to reunite him with his family. We also heard from other individuals--Babak Namazi, whose father and brother have been unjustly detained by the Iranian regime.…”