[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7128-S7129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Hostage Negotiations

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about one of our most 
complicated areas where diplomats have to engage when brutal regimes 
and terror groups seize Americans and use them as hostages, hoping to 
extract concessions from our government. These are situations that are 
infuriating, and they are heartbreaking. At the same time, they are 
immensely complicated. There are no easy solutions when dealing with 
hostage-takers.
  We know what doesn't work. We know that paying ransom for hostages, 
as the Obama administration did with Iran to the tune of billions of 
dollars, only incentivizes more hostage-taking. It is exactly the 
behavior you would expect from hostage-takers, and it is exactly the 
behavior we have seen played out over and over. My colleagues and I, 
along with the Trump administration, have sought other ways of securing 
the release of American hostages.
  Sometimes what is called for is diplomatic pressure. So early in my 
tenure in the Senate, the very first bill that I passed into law was 
legislation that kept Iranian regime figures who had seized American 
hostages in 1979 from receiving diplomatic visas to come into the 
United States.
  I also recently joined with Senator Cotton to introduce the Global 
Hostage Act, a bill that would require the President to impose 
sanctions on foreign government officials responsible for taking 
Americans hostage.
  The Trump administration recently secured the release of Americans 
held hostage in Iran without the need for pallets of cash flown in the 
darkness of night. Nevertheless, all of these solutions are imperfect. 
So it is no surprise that even in countries where we enjoy successes, 
those successes are often heartbreakingly partial, with hostages left 
behind.
  Today, I want to talk about two countries, specifically, where 
Americans from my home State of Texas are languishing today.
  In Syria we have seen some Americans released while others remain 
away from their families. This summer, American Sam Goodwin and 
Canadian Kristian Baxter were released by captors in Syria, which were 
joyful developments on their own and encouraging signs of progress. But 
Austin Tice remains in captivity after more than 7 agonizing years. 
Austin is a Texan and a veteran Marine Corps captain who served our 
country in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was working as a freelance 
journalist to inform Americans about the horror of the Syrian conflict 
when he was captured.
  I have repeatedly had the opportunity to sit down and visit with 
Austin's parents, Marc and Debra. Austin's picture sits on my desk in 
my Senate office, and I remain committed to working with President 
Trump, with the Trump administration, with my colleagues in Congress to 
bring Austin home.
  I joined with 51 Senators, 120 Representatives to write a letter to 
President Trump affirming that ``the Tice family and your own 
administration are confident that Austin is alive'' and calling on 
President Trump to redouble our country's efforts to bring him home. No 
one should doubt the entire U.S. Government's commitment to this task.
  Secondly, in Venezuela, we have also seen partial progress but 
partial progress of a different sort. In the case of the Citgo 6--five 
American citizens and one permanent American resident--they have been 
released from jail, which is a good thing, but they remain under house 
arrest.
  So while Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo 
Cardenas, Tomeu Vadell, and Jose Angel Pereira are no longer under the 
constant threat of dying from abuse and neglect, they are still very 
much held captive and away from their loved ones. Today, here in the 
gallery, are Gabriela and Alirio Rafael, the daughter and the brother 
of Alirio Zambrano.
  These five Texans and one Louisianan are now 2 years into their 
nightmarish journey. They had been summoned to Caracas a week shy of 
Thanksgiving, and upon their arrival, they were summarily detained and 
remained in jail on orders of the Venezuelan military. They would go 
days without food and months without sunlight, but the random 
punishments were nothing if not persistent.
  I have met members of the Citgo 6 families many times. Alexandra 
Forseth, Alirio Zambrano's daughter, shared with me haunting accounts 
that came from her father. He described exactly how harrowing the 
experience has been and the physical toll it has taken.
  These families have left no stones unturned in their efforts to bring 
back their loved ones. They have hired lawyers who have grappled with 
the shifting and inadequate legal institutions in Venezuela, and they 
have found little recourse.
  After years of this literal darkness, just last week the Citgo 6 were 
released to house arrest. This is progress. It is undeniable progress, 
but it is far from enough. Here, too, we must redouble our efforts to 
ensure their full release, to ensure that they can come home to 
America. Every effort must be made to bring them back to the United 
States, to their families, to their children, to their homes.
  Sergio Cardenas, the son of Gustavo Cardenas, was born with a rare 
disease, and at the age of 17, he is battling chronic congestive heart 
failure. The doctors and his family are gravely concerned that he will 
never see his father.
  Jose Toledo's mother is severely handicapped and requires constant 
medical attention and care. Alirio and Jose Luis both have teenage 
daughters currently in high school. These families are waiting for 
their fathers, for their sons, for their husbands to come home.
  Venezuela has a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. If 
human rights means anything, it is that citizens of all countries are 
entitled to speedy due process and that human rights violations must 
have human rights remedies. The Citgo 6 have suffered enough. It is 
past time for them to be released back to their families.
  Finally, let me say I believe that the light of truth--calling 
attention to these human rights atrocities--can overcome the darkness 
of imprisonment. The voices of the families and

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the voices of those who speak out on their behalf resonate and resonate 
loudly. Those who are keeping Americans wrongfully imprisoned, who are 
committing evil, should know that we will not give up. We will not rest 
until these Americans are set free.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.