Ramirez Statement on Oversight Visit To Cuba and Humanitarian Crisis on the Island

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), the co-chair and co-founder of the Global Migration Caucus, released the following statement after returning from an oversight visit to Cuba:

“As a member of Congress, it is my responsibility to understand the effects of U.S. policies on the lives of our neighbors in Cuba. That's why this weekend, I visited Cuba to hear first-hand accounts about the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the island. Through my conversations with civil society, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, journalists, farmers, and many other Cubans, one thing is clear: under the pretense of freeing the Cuban people, the United States government wounds them, cutting them off from access to reliable infrastructure, economic opportunities, and a thriving life on their island.  Plain and simple, our 60-year-long imperialistic policies, including an immoral, inexcusable, cruel blockade, have contributed to the dire conditions facing Cubans who yearn to be free.

And through their actions, Trump and Rubio continue to exacerbate a crisis of displacement: a situation that, for many Cubans, makes it impossible to stay and realize self-determination in their own land. From what I heard directly from Cubans, many feel like they are forced to emigrate. But when Cubans decide to leave behind their land and look at the United States with hope, they are confronted by the U.S.’s outdated immigration system and the Trump administration's white nationalist agenda. It is an impossible choice: face hunger, illness, and destitution on your own land or the abuse of ICE in the U.S. Case in point: during my trip, I met a mother who was deported, leaving her daughter and husband behind. A family separated by inhumane policies, who asked me, “How can we be hopeful” under these conditions.

But, even facing such hardship, I heard directly from the Cuban people that they desire new relationships based on cooperation and diplomacy. That is why we must demand an end to the blockade. We must end the sanctions. We must end the siege on the Cuban people. We must oppose and dismantle every U.S. policy that violates U.S. and international law, harms our neighbors, or undermines the human rights and dignity of the Cuban people. We must change course to realize our collective liberation. We must honor our dignity, shared humanity, and sovereignty at home and abroad. We must immediately pass Rep. Velazquez’s Cuba War Powers Resolution that asserts our Congressional authority, as well as our New Good Neighbor Act. We can and must become good neighbors."