[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14717-14718]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         CUBAN RAFTER INCIDENT

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the inscription on the Statue of 
Liberty refers to our great country as the Mother of Exiles, which 
requests ``give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses * * * of 
your teeming shore.''
  However, yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard in South Florida took 
actions against Cuban freedom seekers which call into question our U.S. 
commitment to these principles. Not only was it not in the fine 
tradition of this agency, but it raises grave concern over the 
treatment of those seeking asylum from brutal dictatorships, such as 
the Castro regime in Cuba.
  The first symbol of liberty these refugees come into contact with is 
the U.S. Coast Guard. Is their first impression to be unwarranted acts 
of aggression which violate their human rights?
  The Coast Guard has literally saved the lives of thousands of 
refugees, and

[[Page 14718]]

yesterday's acts were not in line with that fine history. I have spoken 
to the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard about this matter, and he has 
assured me that an immediate investigation of the specific actions is 
already underway.
  I look forward to the briefing that senior officials of the Coast 
Guard and other agencies will provide us with today to ensure that this 
will never happen again.

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