Robert Torricelli: “Yesterday the citizens of South Florida watched in horror as live television cameras revealed an extraordinary…”

“Yesterday the citizens of South Florida watched in horror as live television cameras revealed an extraordinary spectacle. The hopes of freedom and the great traditions of America collided on the open seas with the harsh reality of the Clinton administration's arrangements with Castro's government in controlling immigration to the United States. Six Cuban refugees who fought across the Florida straits came to within yards of the coast of the United States of America. Only a few feet from their destination, they leaped from the boat and attempted to swim to the shores of our country. They did so for the reasons that all of our ancestors and hundreds of thousands of other Cuban Americans came to the United States--with the belief that they could find freedom and security. It was with horror, I am certain, on their part, but also by other Americans who watched this spectacle unfold as Coast Guard boats intercepted the swimmers. Men attempted to swim for their lives and were never given lifejackets. Surrounded by Coast Guard boats that generated large wakes, imperiling the lives of those who would swim to shore, Coast Guard crewmen used pepper spray against some of the swimmers. They were then taken into custody in handcuffs. Welcome to America. It is essential that the Coast Guard, the Department of the Treasury, begin an immediate inquiry to revise these procedures to find out how this incident could have happened.”