[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 219 (Monday, December 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1385-E1386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION PEDRO PAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CARLOS A. GIMENEZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 20, 2021

  Mr. GIMENEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 60th 
anniversary of Operation Pedro Pan. Fidel Castro's communist regime 
tainted a country beyond repair over six decades ago. Parents on the 
island became increasingly concerned with the communist rise and 
indoctrination of their children that was taking place in schools. What 
is today known as Operation Pedro Pan was the result of concerned 
parents making a critical decision about how their children would be 
taught and educated and these parents ultimately deciding to send their 
children to the United States, where freedom and liberty are guaranteed 
in our Constitution.
  Operation Pedro Pan took place from December 1960 to October 1962 and 
was created by the Catholic Welfare Bureau. More than a thousand Cuban 
minors left the island and arrived in the United States. Upon arrival, 
many of the minors were reunited with relatives and family friends 
residing in the United States, while others were looked after by the 
Catholic Welfare Bureau. Other children were part of the Cuban Refugee 
Children's Program where they were relocated to various other states.
  South Florida became a central hub where many minors arrived and 
settled. Throughout the years those who arrived in the United States 
have contributed significantly. Many went on to pursue various career 
fields that include business, medicine, education, law, and public 
service. Others went on to become small business owners and citizens 
who have come to strongly advocate on behalf of the courageous freedom 
fighters in Cuba who have endured decades of oppression under the 
communist regime.

[[Page E1386]]

  Operation Pedro Pan is the largest organized exodus of unaccompanied 
minors in the Western Hemisphere to this day. On its 60th anniversary, 
I want to highlight the significant contributions that many of those 
who arrived because of Operation Pedro Pan have made. I know firsthand 
the American dream many of the exiles achieved because I immigrated to 
this country with my family when I was a young boy. In just one 
generation, my family went from Cuba to Congress. I believe with all my 
heart and soul that in no other country in the world is that 
achievement possible.

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