[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 158 (Wednesday, November 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14568-S14569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 1919. A bill to permit travel to or from Cuba by United States 
citizens and lawful resident aliens of the United States; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.


               The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2000

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today my colleague, Senator Leahy and 
I are introducing ``The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2000.'' We 
believe the time has come to lift the very archaic, counterproductive, 
and ill-conceived ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. Not only does 
this ban hinder rather than help our effort to spread democracy, it 
unnecessarily abridges the rights of ordinary Americans. The United 
States was founded on the principles of liberty and freedom. Yet when 
it comes to Cuba, our Government abridges these rights with no greater 
rationale than political and rhetorical gain.
  Cuba lies just 90 miles from America's shore. Yet those 90 miles of 
water might as well be an entire ocean. We have made a land ripe for 
American influence forbidden territory. In doing so, we have enabled 
the Cuban regime to be a closed system with the Cuban people having 
little contact with their closest neighbors.
  Surely we do not ban travel to Cuba out of concern for the safety of 
Americans who might visit that island nation. Today Americans are free 
to travel to Iran, Sudan, Burma, Yugoslavia, North Korea--but not to 
Cuba. You can fly to North Korea; you can fly to Iran; you can travel 
freely. It seems to me if you can go to those countries, you ought not 
be denied the right to go to Cuba. If the Cubans want to stop Americans 
from visiting that country, that ought to be their business. But to say 
to an American citizen that you can travel to Iran, where they held 
American hostages for months on end, to North Korea, which has declared 
us to be an enemy of theirs completely, but that you cannot travel 90 
miles off our shore to Cuba, is a mistake.
  To this day, some Iranian politicians believe the United States to be 
``the Great Satan.'' We hear it all the time. Just two decades ago, 
Iran occupied our Embassy and took innocent American diplomats hostage. 
To this day, protesters in Tehran burn the American flag with the 
encouragement of some officials in that Government. Those few Americans 
who venture into such inhospitable surroundings often find themselves 
pelted by rocks and accosted by the public.
  Similarly, we do not ban travel to Sudan, a nation we attacked with 
cruise missiles last summer for its support of terrorism; to Burma, a 
nation with one of the most oppressive regimes in the world today; to 
North Korea, whose soldiers have peered at American servicemen through 
gun sights for decades; or Syria, which has one of the most egregious 
human rights records and is one of the foremost sponsors of terrorism.
  We believe that it is time to end the inconsistency with respect to 
U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba. We ban travel to Cuba, a nation which 
is neither at war with the United States nor a sponsor of international 
terrorist activities. Why do we ban travel? Ostensibly so that we can 
pressure Cuban authorities into making the transition to a democratic 
form of government.
  I fail to see how isolating the Cuban people from democratic values 
and ideals will foster the transition to democracy in that country. I 
fail to see how isolating the Cuban people from democratic values and 
from the influence of Americans when they go to that country to help 
bring about the change we all seek serves our own interests.
  The Cuban people are not currently permitted the freedom to travel 
enjoyed by many peoples around the world. However, because Fidel Castro 
does not permit Cubans to leave Cuba and come to this country is not 
justification for adopting a similar principle in this country 
that says Americans cannot travel freely. We have a Bill of Rights. We 
need to treasure and respect the fundamental rights that we embrace as 
American citizens. Travel is one of them. If other countries want to 
prohibit us from going there, then that is their business. But for us 
to say that citizens of Connecticut or Alabama cannot go where they 
like is not the kind of restraint we ought to put on people.

  If Americans can travel to North Korea, to the Sudan, to Iran, then I 
do not understand the justification for saying that they cannot travel 
to Cuba. I happen to believe that by allowing Americans to travel to 
Cuba, we can begin to change the political climate and bring about the 
changes we all seek in that country.
  Today, every single country in the Western Hemisphere is a democracy, 
with one exception: Cuba. American influence through person-to-person 
and cultural exchanges was a prime factor in this evolution from a 
hemisphere ruled predominantly by authoritarian or military regimes to 
one where democracy is the rule. Our current policy toward Cuba blocks 
these exchanges and prevents the United States from using our most 
potent weapon in our effort to combat totalitarian regimes, and that is 
our own people. They are the best ambassadors we have. Most 
totalitarian regimes bar Americans from coming into their countries for 
the very reasons I just mentioned. They are afraid the gospel of 
freedom will motivate their citizens to overthrow dictators, as they 
have done in dozens of nations over the last half century. Isn't it 
ironic that when it comes to Cuba we do the dictator's bidding for him 
in a sense? Cuba does not have to worry about America spreading 
democracy. Our own Government stops us from doing so.
  Let me review for my colleagues who may travel to Cuba under current 
Government regulations and under what circumstances. The following 
categories of people may travel to Cuba without applying to the 
Treasury Department for a specific license to travel. They are deemed 
to be authorized to travel under so-called general license: Government 
officials, regularly employed journalists, professional researchers who 
are ``full time professionals who travel to Cuba to conduct 
professional research in their professional areas'', Cuban Americans 
who have relatives in Cuba who are ill (but only once a year.)
  There are other categories of individuals who theoretically are 
eligible to travel to Cuba as well, but they must apply for a license 
from the Department of the Treasury and prove they fit a category in 
which travel to Cuba is permissible. What are these categories? The 
first is so called freelance journalists, provided they can prove they 
are journalists; they must also submit their itinerary for the proposed 
research. The second is Cuban Americans who are unfortunate enough to 
have more than one humanitarian emergency in a 12-month period and 
therefore cannot travel under a general license. The third is students 
and faculty from U.S. academic institutions that are accredited by an 
appropriate national or regional educational accrediting association 
who are participating in a ``structural education program.'' The fourth 
is members of U.S. religious organizations. The fifth is individuals 
participating in public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and 
other competitions and exhibitions. If that isn't complicated enough--
just because you think you may fall into one of the above enumerated 
categories does not necessarily mean you will actually be licensed by 
the U.S. Government to travel to Cuba.

[[Page S14569]]

  Under current regulations, who decides whether a researcher's work is 
legitimate? Who decides whether a freelance journalist is really 
conducting journalistic activities? Who decides whether or not a 
professor or student is participating in a ``structured educational 
program''? Who decides whether a religious person is really going to 
conduct religious activities? Government bureaucrats are making those 
decisions about what I believe should be personal rights of American 
citizens.

  It is truly unsettling, to put it mildly, when you think about it, 
and probably unconstitutional at its core. It is a real intrusion on 
the fundamental rights of American citizens. It also says something 
about what we as a Government think about our own people. Do we really 
believe that a journalist, a Government official, a Senator, a 
Congressman, a baseball player, a ballerina, a college professor or 
minister is somehow superior to other citizens who do not fall into 
those categories; that only these categories of people are ``good 
examples'' for the Cuban people to observe in order to understand 
American values?
  I do not think so. I find such a notion insulting. There is no better 
way to communicate America's values and ideals than by unleashing 
average American men and women to demonstrate by daily living what our 
great country stands for and the contrasts between what we stand for 
and what exists in Cuba today.
  I do not believe there was ever a sensible rationale for restricting 
Americans' right to travel to Cuba. With the collapse of the Soviet 
Union and an end to the cold war, I do not think any excuse remains 
today to ban this kind of travel. This argument that dollars and 
tourism will be used to prop up the regime is specious. The regime 
seems to have survived 38 years despite the Draconian U.S. embargo 
during that entire period. The notion that allowing Americans to spend 
a few dollars in Cuba is somehow going to give major aid and comfort to 
the Cuban regime is without basis, in my view.
  This spring, we got a taste of what people-to-people exchanges 
between the United States and Cuba might mean when the Baltimore 
Orioles and the Cuban National Team played a home-and-home series. The 
game brought players from two nations with the greatest love of 
baseball together for the first time in generations. It is time to 
bring the fans together. It is time to let Americans and Cubans meet in 
the baseball stands and on the streets of Havana.
  Political rhetoric is not sufficient reason to abridge the freedoms 
of American citizens. Nor is it sufficient reason to stand by a law 
which counteracts one of the basic premises of American foreign policy; 
namely, the spread of democracy. The time has come to allow Americans--
average Americans--to travel freely to Cuba. I urge my colleagues to 
support the legislation that Senator Leahy and I have introduced today. 
We will be working to ensure that the full Senate has an opportunity to 
debate and vote on this matter when the Senate convenes next year. I 
hope our colleagues will join with us at that time in restoring 
American citizens' rights to travel wherever they choose, including to 
the Island of Cuba.
                                 ______