Chris Smith

I am deeply concerned that Cuba's tier, their State Department ranking, which had been the worst... only to be manipulated politically for non-human trafficking criteria in anticipation of this rapprochement, which I find absurd.

We have an upgrade which takes them off the sanctions list, which I find to be appalling.

The TIP Report should be absolutely accurate and speak truth to power and defend those who have been... appalling.

Thank you for pointing that out with regards to the North Koreans and others who are ill-served by the police who are part of the problem.

I do hope that they get it right this time.

I hope that the U.S. Department of State and particularly the new Ambassador-at-Large, who I think is a very honorable person, Susan Coppedge, who I've had a meeting with in the office, we did invite her to be here today.

The hope is that now that there's an opening with Cuba that when anyone seeks to travel to Cuba we know it's been a destination for child sex tourism.

So they're hiding in plain sight?

In the TIP Report that we have under scrutiny today where China falsely was given a Tier 2 Watch List designation, they point out that Chinese women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking within China.

I, and others on this subcommittee have repeatedly asked the Chinese to honor the provisions of that refugee convention.

We are not aware that that is occurring in Malaysia at all.

The use and recruitment of child soldiers throughout the country does continue, unfortunately.

A downgrade for Myanmar would send a very clear message to the military that it needs to cooperate with the new NLD government to combat human trafficking.

We would disagree with that notion. Myanmar's people have struggled very long and hard to ensure the forces of democracy move forward in the country.

I think that if Burma or Myanmar is downgraded to Tier 3 this would send a very clear message to the military that it needs to shape up with regard to human trafficking, that forced labor is completely unacceptable, and that they have to…

China deserves great scrutiny and ought not to be given a pass in the report.

But when it's combined with the treatment of North Koreans not as refugees but as economic migrants who if sent back to North Korea, as my colleague on the panel here indicated, would be punished, that together creates a situation of a…

Foreign policy should not let such nations off the hook on human rights. We need to look very carefully at Vietnam.

We believe Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia fail to meet the minimum standards in the last year and deserve Tier 3 status.

I am extremely disappointed and concerned that last year's TIP Report gave a pass to several countries meriting a Tier 3 ranking.

I want to welcome you to today's hearing, 'Get It Right This Time: A Victims-Centered Trafficking in Persons Report.'

Then there's the example of Yasiel Espino Aceval, who went on a hunger strike last year in protest of the abuses and torture meted out to political prisoners by the Castro brothers' goons.

One of those people is Alexander Reyes, sentenced to 5 years in prison on March 2, 2016, just a few days ago.

I have in my hand a list of 50 political prisoners, compiled by my good friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Raul Castro said that there were no political prisoners, daring people to come up with a list of political prisoners in Cuba.