On the recordMay 23, 2017
I want to take this moment to thank my colleague and my chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee for always being present on all the important issues, human rights issues in the Western Hemisphere. And of course, I want to thank my colleague from Florida, Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, for her passion and determination to bring democracy to Venezuela. Before I recognize my good friend from Florida, Mario Diaz-Balart, I would just like to say that Venezuela basically has taken a page out of the Castro brothers. This is how the process in Cuba started. Fifty- five years later, there is nothing but oppression, no freedom of expression, no election, and, quite frankly, there are approximately about 30,000 Cubans in Venezuela running the security apparatus. But I want the Venezuelan people to know that we are fighting along with them, that we are talking to all the Presidents, all the leaders in the Western Hemisphere, to put pressure on Venezuela to develop the democracy and stop the abuse of human rights in Venezuela. At this time, I yield to my good friend from Florida (Mr. Diaz- Balart), who is also a fighter for human rights and who has been always in the forefront of human rights in the Western Hemisphere.
