James Davis: “I think this is a human rights issue. This is not an issue about whether the embargo is going to stand with Cuba. This…”

“I think this is a human rights issue. This is not an issue about whether the embargo is going to stand with Cuba. This is a more fundamental issue about the human rights of Cuban-Americans living in the United States: in my home, the Tampa Bay area of the State of Florida, throughout the country, and their families who have been left behind in Cuba. As the gentleman from Arizona alluded to, under the new restrictions that have been announced by the State Department that have taken effect, we now as a country prohibit Cuban-Americans from sending to their own family members, soap, toothpaste, or underwear. Those will no longer be allowed to be mailed by family members in the United States to their families in Cuba. On top of that, these regulations specifically prohibit United States citizens from sending anything to family members other than their mother, father, brother, or sister. In other words, if you had a cousin or an aunt or uncle in Cuba that you care about and are trying to help, under this rule which has now taken effect, you can no longer send to them medicine or food or medical supplies. This is tragic. This is absurd. This is unforgivable. This is something that we should not countenance as a House. This is not a policy we ever would have adopted as a Congress.”