Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s path to Congress is unlike many others. Representing the 18th congressional district of Florida, she has been one of Congress’ leading voices for democracy and human rights for nearly two decades, and as a political refugee herself from Cuba, it’s fitting that she now chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Born in communist Cuba, Ros-Lehtinen fled the regime with her parents when she was only eight years old and together they successfully made their way to America. After graduating college, she became a teacher before eventually entering politics. Her …
The U.S. Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing last week on lifting the ban on travel to Cuba, revealing the high discrepancy among congressional members over whether or not restricting Americans from traveling to Cuba will ultimately influence democratic change and enhance human rights under the Castro regime. Many representatives argued that this policy has failed at influencing democracy within the communist state and has prevented Americans from traveling where they please. Others claimed that by allowing Americans to travel to Cuba, to speak and have frequent contact between …
