Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today we welcome a distinguished member of the clergy, Reverend Stephen M. Torrence, from my district of Key West, Florida. Reverend Torrence was ordained in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and in 1985 was called to pastor the Metropolitan Community Church in Key West. Among his many community accomplishments, he was instrumental in organizing a nonprofit community-based AIDS organization, AIDS HELP, that serves Monroe County. For over 12 years, Reverend Torrence has also served as a fully sworn officer, and is the Department Chaplain in the Key West Police Force. Reverend Torrence has witnessed many tragedies as well as victories and always offered comforting spiritual guidance and gladsome praise. Monroe County, and especially Key West citizens, are grateful and blessed to have him help us through difficult times and join us in joyful celebrations. We welcome Reverend Torrence to the people's House.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and spirit of Mr. Cruz Acosta, a wonderful constituent and an exceptional human being who remains high-spirited despite his struggle with cancer. Cruz was the first in his family to leave the tyranny of Cuba in search of freedom, living his life in appreciation of the liberty he found here in the United States. Throughout the last 11 years, he has fought bone marrow cancer and leukemia, but his continuous desire for better health would not have been possible without the loving care and prayers of his family and the dedicated attention of the nurses and the doctors at Baptist Hospital, an exceptional medical institution located in my district. As he remains in the hospital today, my thoughts and my prayers are with his wife, Miriam, with Cruz, and his entire family.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today I want to thank Mr. Bereuter for his leadership in introducing H. Con. Res. 165, expressing support for a renewed effort to find a peaceful, just, and lasting settlement to the Cyprus problem, and I want to take this opportunity to voice my strong support for this resolution. In today's uncertain world, where conflict and instability abound, one such long-standing dispute was quietly moving toward a resolution. However, while the world has been focused on Iraq and deadlines on the Hussein regime came and went, another deadline, one vitally important to a resolution to the conflict on Cyprus, passed with little fanfare. The stakes in Cyprus are high, and while the United States is rightly focusing on more pressing foreign policy problems like the war on terrorism, the war in Iraq and other issues in the Middle East, we should also devote attention to bringing an end to this conflict. The outcome of a peaceful resolution to the division of Cyprus will have a significant impact on Turkey and Greece, two key NATO players whose antagonistic relationship has too often roiled the alliance. It would benefit U.S. interests in the eastern Mediterranean, would strengthen NATO by improving relations between our two key allies, and defuse an ongoing regional arms race. Just as they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States in the war against terror, so too must they play a constructive role in resolving this longstanding dispute. The European Commission clearly and unequivocally has linked Turkey's ambitions to join the EU to a solution to the conflict. Turkey is eager to join the EU, and the Turks of Cyprus, isolated and living in poverty, look forward to sharing the benefits of EU membership. One only has to look to the massive rallies recently held by Turkish Cypriots in support of a resolution. Just today, the Greek and Turkish Prime Ministers met in Belgrade and agreed on the need to reach a solution to the political problem in Cyprus. The moment of truth is at hand, and time is running short. The two communities should play an important role in the efforts toward a solution and move their leadership to the negotiating table. They must show genuine commitment to forge an agreement on the terms of reunification. As the President of the Republic of Cyprus recently stated: ``Non-solution is not a solution. It is not even the conclusion of the Cyprus problem. On the contrary, it will mean the beginning of new dangers and new problems. The eventual solution to the Cyprus problem will be a compromise. . . .'' However, ``If the solution is not functional it cannot be viable. If it is not viable it will not be permanent.'' A solution cannot include the possibility of the permanence of division. After nearly 30 years, it is time for the bitter division of Cyprus to come to an end. It is time for a peaceful, just, and lasting settlement to the Cyprus problem. I am confident my colleagues share this hope and I ask them to vote for this resolution.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on this great day, as we celebrate the freedom of the Iraqi people and continue the international war against terrorism, let us also continue our war against domestic drug abuse. And because of their valiant cause against substance abuse, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize south Florida's Y-100 radio station and John Kross, known as ``Footy,'' for this weekend's upcoming 16th Annual Wing Ding. This annual charity event benefits Here's Help, Incorporated, a private, non-profit, comprehensive youth drug and alcohol treatment facility in south Florida. This important grass-roots effort seeks to combat the menace of drug abuse among the most vulnerable members of our society, our young people. Here's Help has made an invaluable contribution to protecting the dignity and the innocence of the youth of south Florida. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Y-100 and Footy for their unwavering commitment to our precious south Florida young people, as well as for the patriotic support that the radio station Y-100 has given to our Armed Forces throughout Iraqi Freedom.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that each side be granted an additional 5 minutes.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the distinguished majority whip.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to explain what this bill actually does. I have had some Members ask. House Resolution 179 establishes the nexus which exists between the current wave of repression and the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights which is currently being held in Geneva. And in doing so, it takes into account the dictatorship's systematic and gross human rights violations and its repeated demonstrations of contempt for the mandates issued by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. Further, it calls for a resolution to be offered and passed at the Human Rights Commission, which accurately reflects this grim reality. It seizes the opportunity which presents itself in May of this year when Cuba's membership on the commission expires. It does so by calling on the Nation of Latin America and the Caribbean group to oppose and deny the regime a seat on this human rights body. More importantly, this resolution calls for the immediate release of all Cuban prisoners of conscience. It sends a strong, definitive message that the United States Congress stands with the dissidents, the independent journalists, and all pro-democracy activists, and not with their oppressor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the vice chairman of our Committee on International Relations.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney).

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. After speaking, I will yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz- Balart) to close. Mr. Speaker, I started my remarks quoting Eli Wiesel, and I would like to end the remarks that I have on this resolution by this same gentleman who has meant so much for freedom and human rights and free expression of ideas throughout the world. Eli Wiesel said, ``Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope too can be given to one only by other human beings.'' Let us be that beacon of hope for the Cuban people. Let us support this resolution. Let us support those freedom fighters, those valiant fighters for free thought who are actually given sentences for possession of typewriters, for possession of books, for possession of computers, for giving interviews to foreign journalists. Let us be that beacon of hope that Eli Wiesel spoke about. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remaining time to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart).

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 179) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the systematic human rights violations in Cuba committed by the Castro regime, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners, and supporting respect for basic human rights and free elections in Cuba.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), the author of this resolution.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Nobel peace laureate Eli Wiesel has said: ``. . . to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all . . .'' Indifference breeds evil. Indifference is the enemy of freedom. Indifference helps cloak the deplorable actions of tyrants. Cuba's ruthless dictator counts on this indifference. Taking advantage of global attention being focused on Iraq and noting the worldwide tendency to ignore or minimize the deplorable human rights condition in Cuba, the Castro regime has launched a full-scale assault on those who are struggling to bring freedom and democracy to this enslaved nation. Courageous men and women such as Marta Beatriz Roque, an independent economist and leading pro-democracy advocate, are being sentenced to harsh prison terms of 20 years. Marta Beatriz had previously spent nearly 3 years in prison for publishing, along with three other colleagues, a paper calling for democratic reforms. Independent journalists such as Raul Rivero, who is highlighted in the resolution before us, as the dean of the independent dissident Cuban journalists, was sentenced to 20 years. Fellow journalists such as Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso and Hector Maseda Gutierrez also received 20- year sentences. Other victims of this wave of repression include Jose Daniel Ferrer, a member of the Christian Liberation Movement, whose penalty was increased to death per a special request by the puppet whom the regime has as the presiding judge. There is also independent union labor leader Oscar Espinosa Chepe, and Manuel Vazquez Portal, Nelson Molinet Espino and Nelson Alberto Aguiar. I enter into the Record their names and their sentences. Pinar del Rio Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, Periodista Independiente-- Life in prison. Horacio Julio Pina Borrego, Periodista Independiente--12 years. Eduardo Diaz Fleitas, opositor--15 years. Fidel Suarez Cruz, opositor--12 years. Ciudad Habana Raul Rivero Castaneda, Periodista Independiente--Life in prison. Jorge Olivera Castillo, Periodista Independiente--Life in prison. Ricardo Gonzales Alfonso, Periodista Independiente--Life in prison. Hector Maceda Gutierrez, Periodista Independiente--Life in prison. Manuel Vazquez Portal, Periodista Independiente--16 years. Osvaldo Alfonso Valdez, opositor--Life in prison. Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos, opositor--Life in prison. Hector Palacio Ruiz, opositor--Life in prison. La Habana Miguel Galvan Gutierrez, Periodista Independiente--Life in prison. Jose Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez, Periodista Independiente-- 20 years. Hector Raul Valle Hernandez, opositor--15 years. Villa Clara Librado Linares Garcia, Periodista Independiente--20 years. Lester Gonzalez Penton, Periodista Independiente--20 years. Omar Ruiz Hernandez, Periodista Independiente--18 years. Margarito Broche Espinosa, opositor--25 years. Omar Pernet Hernandez, opositor--25 years. Isla de Pino Favio Prieto Llorente, Periodista Independiente--20 years. The list seems endless as the daunting reality of what the dictatorship has done sinks into our consciousness. Since March 18, Mr. Speaker, Castro's security agents have been storming into the homes of dissidents and other opposition leaders across the island, confiscating typewriters, books, papers, and other professional and personal belongings. And what have been their so-called crimes? Engaging in such ``threatening'' activities such as possessing and lending books by authors such as Vaclac Havel, Ghandi and Martin Luther King. Hector Palacios Ruiz, for example, was engaged in such ``treasonous'' behavior, to quote the regime, as helping to draft the document in December of last year which called for ``free hiring of employees.'' He was also found in possession of books such as ``Castro's Final Hours'' and ``A Manual for Education in Human Rights'' as well as children's games. Every day more and more opposition leaders are sentenced to languish in squalid jail cells and subjected to the most inhumane and degrading treatment. We cannot and must not be silent. We cannot and must not be indifferent to the anguish and misery endured by the Cuban people just 90 miles off our shores at the hands of the depraved and cruel dictator and his agents of terror. The European Union has issued statements condemning the arrests and demanding that these prisoners of conscience be immediately released. Amnesty International urged Cuba to release all of its prisoners of conscience and reform the laws which make such detentions possible. Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to condemn these abuses and do so strongly and unequivocally. Human Rights International, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Inter-American Press Association have all denounced this incredible Stalinist crackdown. Newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, the San Diego Union Tribune, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have run editorials with headlines underscoring that: ``Saddam and Fidel are Birds of a Feather''; ``Crackdown in Cuba: A Reminder that Castro is Still a Tyrant''; and ``Castro's Regime as Repressive as Ever.'' The Los Angeles Times led its editorials by saying: ``After years of calling for liberalized relations with Cuba, this editorial page must now urge American policymakers to hit the brakes.'' Just today the Washington Post ran an editorial by Richard Cohen which said: ``I would like to hear some moral outrage about Castro . . . Fidel Castro is a thug and a fool.'' But it is our turn now to speak. It is our time for the U.S. Congress to stand behind the Cuban people, side by side, as it has done for so many times before and is so doing with the Iraqi people. This resolution is a strong first step. House Resolution 179 details the sequence of events which have transpired in recent weeks and places particular emphasis on the plight of these political prisoners such as Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva, a blind human rights dissident imprisoned for over a year who is gravely ill and has yet to receive medical attention. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for his statement of support. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake), a member of our Committee on International Relations

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter), a member of our Committee on International Relations.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in my congressional district for winning first place at the ``Florida We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' competition. This civics competition ensures that students understand the history and the philosophy of our U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights. It is an important program that aids students in understanding their rights and responsibilities as American citizens. Lourdes Academy, the reigning national champions, will be coming to Washington this month to compete for the national title. Please join me in congratulating the students of Lourdes Academy and especially their teacher, Rosie Heffernan, on their outstanding achievement and wishing them much success in the national competition.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart) for yielding to me in this special moment for the people of Cuba. It is with a heavy heart that my colleagues from south Florida and I stand here today because, while we are filled with hope and satisfaction about the liberation of the Iraqi people from the repressive regime of Saddam Hussein, at the same time our hearts bleed and weep for our brothers and sisters enslaved and oppressed in Cuba because the brutal tyrannical regime of Fidel Castro has used the cover of military action in Iraq to launch, as my colleague from south Florida clearly pointed out, one of the most intense crackdowns against dissidents in recent years. Castro's security agents have been storming into homes across the island, confiscating typewriters, books, papers from dissidents' homes, and rounding up almost 100 pro-democracy activists and independent journalists. And what have been their so- called crimes? Engaging in supposedly threatening activities such as possessing and lending books by such authors as Vaclac Havel, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. Arrested have been valiant freedom fighters such as Marta Beatriz Roque, an economist by trade who has already served time in Castro's gulags for her role in a publication that sought to take back the rights of all of the Cuban people, by underscoring that the ``Homeland Belongs to All, La Patria es de Todos.'' Another arrested, Raul Rivero, perhaps Cuba's most prominent independent journalist; Reformist Hector Palacios; labor leader Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos. And my colleague had entered into the Record all of their names, as far as we know; and the list is growing every day. And their sentences: Osvaldo Alfonso Valdes, life sentence; Jorge Olivera Castillo, 15 years; Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso, life sentence; Orlando Fundora Alvarez, 15 to 25 years. Life sentences, 15 years, 25 years for possession of papers. And these brave souls that are listed in these pages are just a few of the victims of the most recent wave of terrorism and repression. Many of the dissidents are being tortured. The summary sentences range from 15 years to execution, all in an attempt to intimidate by submission and silence those who oppose the regime's tyrannical rule. However, as Claudia Marquez, the wife of jailed dissident Osvaldo Alfonso, has emphasized, she said: ``Our voices and cries will not be silenced, even if our only weapon is our statements.'' With every arrest the opposition is strengthened, not weakened. With each beating their mission becomes clear. They are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if it means an end to tyranny, for they know that their blood and their tears fertilize the roots of democracy which are taking hold in our native Cuba. They will not be deterred. Let us not ignore their cries, cries emanating just 90 miles off our shores. This crackdown is a direct challenge to the United States and to the international community. The regime assumed that we were all too busy with Iraq to care about the suffering of the Cuban people. Well, the dictatorship made a grave mistake. The European Union issued a statement condemning the arrest and demanding that these prisoners of conscience be immediately released. Amnesty International urged Cuba to release all of its prisoners of conscience and reform the laws which make such detentions possible. Human Rights International, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Inter-American Press Association have all denounced the crackdowns; and newspapers, as pointed out by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), in the Los Angeles Times, they have published editorials saying, ``After years of calling for liberalized relations with Cuba, this editorial page must now urge American policymakers to hit the brakes.'' So rather than focusing on rewarding the Castro regime by loosening U.S. restrictions, all of us in the U.S. Congress should demand that Castro free all of the pro-democracy activists who have been arrested in the last few weeks, along with all prisoners of conscience. We must demand respect for human rights and freedom for the Cuban people. We have done it before. We did it for the iron grip, for the former Soviet Union. We did it for the people in Kosovo, for the people in Bosnia. We did it for the Haitian people. We supported the Afghan people in their struggle, and we are now working to liberate the Iraqi people. But after more than 40 years of enslavement and subjugation, the U.S. Congress, with a single voice but one which will be heard around the world, must speak out against these atrocities and the gross violations committed by the Castro dictatorship, because the Cuban people deserve no less. I thank the gentleman.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate a man of great honor and integrity, a man who has devoted his life to the cause of serving our community in south Florida, Carlos de la Cruz. Carlos has been selected to receive the 2003 American Red Cross Humanitarian Award for his exceptional contributions to our community. Carlos has had a distinguished career in his endeavor to improve the lives of people across our beloved Nation, while the American Red Cross has a fitting tribute, a well deserving one, for Carlos. A native from Cuba, Carlos along with his lovely wife, Rosa, have been examples of true social responsibility. His work with the Red Cross, United Way, and the Urban League inspires us all. I join the people in south Florida, the American Red Cross, and all of Carlos's family in soluting his extraordinary work. To Carlos, gracias for his devotion and commitment to our beloved south Florida community. We are a better area for his being there.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the University of Miami for launching its Center for Ecosystem and Science Policy. This new center, led by its Director, Professor Mary Doyle, will work to ensure that sound environmental decisions are made based on the best scientific knowledge and understanding available. It will combine expertise in government and the environmental sciences in order to positively impact policy creation. The Center for Ecosystem and Science Policy emphasizes the University of Miami's stance as a first-rate educational institution. So I highly commend the President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala, and the Center's Director, Mary Doyle, for taking leadership roles in the field of environmental research and policy.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, pioneer aviation wife and South Dade avocado farmer, Wilma ``Billie'' Musgrove, died on March 6th in the arms of her son at the age of 86 after suffering several strokes. Born of Dutch parents in Holland, Michigan, she celebrated Tulip Time and the sand dunes and beaches of Lake Michigan. She caught the eye of aviator Lester E. Musgrove and married him when she was 16 years old. She followed her barnstorming husband across the United States to air shows, wing walker exhibitions, air races and crop-dusting jobs. While Lester served in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the start of WWII, Billie raised their son, Bob, in Grand Rapids and worked their new property in South Dade. After the war, the couple started their Redland avocado grove and they watched Bob grow to become a pilot. Billie purchased an air boat to hunt in the Everglades and enjoyed preparing feasts from her catches for family and friends. Billie had a great love of the organ and piano which led her to entertain at Sunniland's Flame Restaurant and Homestead's Capri Restaurant with big band era favorites. A great joy was her immediate past presidency of South Florida's Organ Belles club and Light Aircraft Flyer's Association. Travels around the world added to her wonderful life. Billie touched many lives and leaves great memories with those who were fortunate to know her. She will be sorely missed but always remembered with love. My heartfelt sympathies go out to her family for their tremendous loss.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, last month we celebrated Heart Month, a time for us to reflect upon heart disease, its effects, and our methods of prevention. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the Miami Heart Research Institute for its dedication to the research and the treatment of this life-threatening disease. Heart disease is the single leading cause of death for American women. Obviously, women make an indispensable contribution to the growth of our culture and must be ensured every opportunity for good health and longevity. It is critical that women be educated on the risk of heart disease as well as on the effective methods of prevention. I hope that my colleagues will join me in recognizing the efforts of the Miami Heart Research Institute and that we will all grow in the awareness of the impact which heart disease has on Americans, especially our Nation's women.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I want to rise in support of H. Con. Res. 40, authorizing the rotunda of the Capitol to be used on April 30, 2003, for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust, and commend the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor) for bringing this important measure to the floor at this time. When we talk of the Holocaust, we speak of a unique atrocity, distinct from any other. The mass murder that was inflicted upon millions of innocent men, women, and children must be viewed both as crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in their own right, and should be remembered as such. Yet, while the Holocaust is unique in history, anti-Semitism continues to haunt European society. Initially, Jews returning home after their liberation from the death camps often were met by their neighbors who had taken their houses, refused to return them, and in many places murdered these survivors of the Nazis. More recently, the continued violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza has released pent-up anti-Semitism throughout Europe. In my capacity as the Chair of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights in the 107th Congress, I held several hearings and briefings on the rise of religious persecution in Europe, engaged in Western European nations in combating the rise of anti- Semitism within their counties and in international fora, where anti- Semitic and anti-Israel bias prevails. However, this most recent outbreak of anti-Semitism is not limited to Europe by any means. Many of the ancient canards and lies about Jews are being resurrected in the Arab media. This includes the revival of the ``blood libel'' and pervasive Holocaust denial by the government-controlled press in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This cannot be tolerated. We must demand that these governments, recipients of significant U.S. foreign assistance and other U.S. support, take immediate action to publicly repudiate both the message of hate and violence, as well as the purveyors of such filth. Today, as we consider this measure to provide a forum for honoring the courage and indomitable will of the victims of the Holocaust, let us be guided by the lessons of the past and commit ourselves to eradicating the intolerance and extremism which led to this grim period in history. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, so that the lessons of the Holocaust may not be forgotten.

Ms. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

Ms. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of a fellow member of the Hispanic community and nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Miguel Estrada. Mr. Estrada personifies the success and achievement of our beloved community. His legal expertise will add a profound dimension to the court that is considered to be precursor to the Supreme Court. As an attorney, he has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and has tried 10 cases as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. A native of Honduras, Miguel Estrada is an American success story. During his first years in the U.S., Mr. Estrada spoke virtually no English. His commitment to education and improvement of the individual is demonstrated by the excellence of his academic record. As a graduate of Columbia College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and Harvard Law, Miguel Estrada's legal experience exceeds that of the average nominee. If confirmed, Miguel Estrada would be the first Hispanic judge to serve on the court. President Bush served the Hispanic community well by nominating a man of such character and devotion to the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, Miguel Estrada has my full support and best wishes on his nomination.