[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 19, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE FREEDOM TOWER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2001

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, since its inception, the United States has 
been a safe haven for those less fortunate. A Nation built around those 
seeking religious or political freedom. A new chance. A fresh start. 
Opportunities for themselves, and for their children and their 
children's children. And so, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
symbol of our Nation's freedom; one that has already welcomed 
generations of new Americans to our shores: the Freedom Tower.
  The defining landmark of the Miami skyline for nearly 80 years, the 
Freedom Tower has represented to Cuban exiles the principals upon which 
our nation is based. And now the Freedom Tower is undergoing a well-
deserved $40 million transformation to become an interactive museum, 
library, and research center that will chronicle the experiences, 
hardships and triumphs of Cuban exiles on their journey to South 
Florida.
  Originally the home to a Miami newspaper, the Tower became the Cuban 
Refugee Emergency Center in 1962 and remained so for over a decade. 
Known as ``El Refugio,'' the Freedom Tower served as Florida's Ellis 
Island to the 450,000 refugees that made the journey.
  Mr. Speaker, the Freedom Tower has already meant so much to the South 
Florida community. And a year from now this distinguished Miami 
landmark will take on new meaning. It will teach new generations of 
Americans about the history of Cuban refugees and how their bravery and 
belief in American ideals has shaped and bettered South Florida as well 
as all of America.

                          ____________________