[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26576]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



IN HONOR OF MR. GUILLERMO ESTEVEZ ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE NEW JERSEY 
              OFFICE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 21, 1999

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Guillermo 
Estevez, Director of the New Jersey Office of the International Rescue 
Committee, for 20 years of dedicated service, and to congratulate him 
on his retirement from the organization.
  From volunteer to Director, Mr. Estevez has had a remarkable career 
with the International Rescue Committee, Inc. Mr. Estevez and IRC 
provided assistance to more than 25,000 refugees from all over the 
world in the quest for freedom.
  Since his arrival in the United States in 1979, Mr. Estevez has been 
a pro-active leader in the human rights struggle in Cuba. A political 
prisoner himself, who served more than 20 years in the jails of 
Communist Cuba, Mr. Estevez has firsthand knowledge of the flagrant 
disregard for civil and human rights on the island.
  Over the years, Mr. Estevez has spearheaded many marches and 
demonstrations against the Communist Regime in Cuba. Through the 
streets of New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Miami, Tampa, 
New Orleans, and various cities in my home State of New Jersey, Mr. 
Estevez has been instrumental in shining a light on the too often 
overshadowed abuses in Cuba.
  In Mr. Estevez's fight for a free and democratic Cuba, he founded, 
organized, and served as first General Coordinator of the Cuban Civic 
Committee. Mr. Estevez's efforts were rewarded when he was recently 
named to the Free Cuba Task Force by the Governor of the State of New 
Jersey.
  Mr. Estevez was the first Hispanic member of the Board of Trustees of 
the New Jersey State Prison Complex and was a member of the Alcohol and 
Drug Abuse Committee of the Hudson County Human Services Advisory 
Committee.
  For his remarkable contributions to the fight against civil and human 
rights violations, specifically in regard to the fight against the 
Cuban Communist Regime, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Mr. Estevez on a truly exceptional career and to wish 
him luck in all his future endeavors.




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