[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 183 (Thursday, December 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      DETENTION OF ALAN P. GROSS-

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                       HON. JESSE L. JACKSON, JR.

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2011

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for the 
immediate release of Alan P. Gross on humanitarian grounds. Mr. Gross, 
a 62-year-old international development specialist, has been held in a 
Cuban detention facility for the last two years. Mr. Gross has worked 
in community and international development for over 25 years and his 
work has positively impacted the lives of people in over 50 countries, 
including the West Bank, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Gambia, Kenya, 
South Africa, and Ghana.
  At the time of his arrest, Mr. Gross was working on behalf of the US 
Agency for International Development with the peaceful, non-dissident 
Jewish community to help them establish an Intranet and improve access 
to the Internet. Logically, Mr. Gross brought basic technological 
equipment with him to assist in achieving that goal. Although he 
followed all appropriate procedures and declared the equipment in 
customs, Cuban authorities would use unsupported claims of illegality 
of this equipment as grounds for his imprisonment.
  Shortly after his arrest on December 3, 2009, Cuban military 
officials placed Mr. Gross in a maximum-security military hospital, and 
held him for 14 months without charge. In February of this year, he was 
finally charged with ``acts to undermine the integrity and 
independence'' of Cuba. After a mere two day trial, he was convicted, 
and sentenced to 15 years in prison. His appeal to the Cuban Supreme 
Court was denied on August 5.
  Mr. Speaker, Alan Gross is an elderly development worker, not a spy. 
He doesn't speak Spanish, making him an unlikely subject in the 
subversion of the Cuban government. It is insulting to suggest that Mr. 
Gross deserves a 15 year sentence for possessing ``illegal'' equipment 
that Cuban authorities could have seized upon his entrance into the 
country. But these elements of this gross miscarriage of justice pale 
in comparison to the humanitarian affront of keeping him in Cuban 
custody.
  Mr. Gross' health has deteriorated tremendously during his 
incarceration. He has lost approximately 100 pounds and suffers from a 
number of serious health issues, some of which may become permanent. In 
addition, his family's health and financial problems have placed him 
under extreme mental strain.
  In August of 2010, Mr. Gross' 26-year-old daughter was diagnosed with 
breast cancer. She underwent, and is currently recovering from a double 
mastectomy. His wife, Judy, recently underwent surgery as well, missing 
a long period of work due to her illness. His 89-year-old mother was 
diagnosed with inoperable cancer in February of this year. This, 
combined with Mr. Gross' continued incarceration, has resulted in 
tremendous financial hardship for his entire family, and his inability 
to support them has greatly pained Mr. Gross.
  In light of these events and his unjust sentence, I call on the Cuban 
Government to immediately release Mr. Gross so he may receive medical 
treatment and help his family through this tumultuous time.

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