State of Florida – dwkcommentaries

U.S. Senators Rubio and Scott Propose Resolution To Hold Cuban Regime Accountable for Heinous Crimes

On August 12, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott (Rep., FL) introduced a Senate resolution to hold “the Cuban regime accountable for its heinous crimes.”[1]

After 16 Whereas clauses, the proposed resolution contains the following nine proposed resolutions whereby the U.S. Senate would state that it:

(1) opposes any revision of United States policy towards Cuba as established in United States law until the Cuban regime changes the above policies and its hostility towards the United States;

(2) believes that the promotion of democracy abroad is a core foreign policy objective of the United States Congress;

(3) believes that the spread of democracy globally preserves the security of the United States and enhances our Nation’s prosperity;

(4) calls on the United States Government to use every diplomatic tool to persuade foreign governments and international organizations to join its efforts and coordinate activities to bring freedom and democracy to Cuba;

(5) believes that the United States should work with allies and like-minded democracies to seek Cuba’s expulsion from the United Nations Human Rights Council;

(6) believes that, due to Cuba’s mutually suportive relationships with foreign terrorist organizations and state sponsors of terrorism, the Secretary of State should maintain Cuba on the Department of State’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list;

(7) encourages the United States Trade Representative to enter in consultations with the Goernment of Mexico and all the other countries that engage in the trafficking of Cuban doctors, not just in Mexico but in all other countries that are in violation of the labor provisions of the United States Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA);

(8) calls on the Department of State to submit biannual reports to Congress on March 1st and September 1st of each year on its efforts to bring freedom and democracy to Cuba based on the principles outlined in this resolution; and

(9) emphasizes the readiness of the people of the United States to assist the Cuban people, who are emerging from a decades-long authoritarian nightmare, to rebuild their lives and country and to rejoin the community of free, peaceful, and demo2 cratic nations.”

Their joint press release for this proposed resolutions contained the following statements:

“Senator Rick Scott said, “The illegitimate Communist Cuban regime is a destabilizing force in the Western Hemisphere, a safe harbor to terrorists, a friend to America’s enemies, an oppressor of the Cuban people and violator of human rights. Sadly, that hasn’t stopped the Biden-Harris administration from chasing the same weak appeasement policies prioritized by Obama for this State Sponsor of Terrorism, which have done nothing but strengthen the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime. As we speak, Cuban military thugs are being used to prop up puppets like Maduro and repress the Venezuelan people. The United States must take a stand, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in this resolution to make clear we will NOT condone the illegitimate communist Cuban regime’s human rights abuses and will use the full force of our government to hold them accountable. I stand with the brave Cuban people and will never forget their fight.”
Senator Marco Rubio said, “The world is bearing witness to the multiple ways the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime has served as a puppet for Communist China, Iran, and most recently Russia. America has a moral duty to defend our nation’s interests and we must continue to uphold democratic order and justice in our hemisphere.”

Representative María Elvira Salazar (Rep., FL) introduced a companion resolution in the House.

Conclusion

Obviously the relevant Senate and House committees have not yet held hearings or votes on this proposed resolution.

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[1] US senators demand that the entity ‘hold the Cuban regime accountable for its atrocious crimes,’ Dirio de Cuba (Aug. 14, 2024) ;Sen. Rubio Press Release, Rubio, Scott Introduce Resolution Condemning Cuban Regime (Aig. 12, 2024); Scott Press Release, Sen. Rick Scott & Sen. Marco Rubio Introduce Resolution Condemning Cuban regime (Aug. 12, 2024); S. Res. on Cuba.

Another Report About U.S. Need for More Immigrants

A New York Times article uses the need for employees in Miami’s restaurants to illustrate the U.S. need for more immigrants.[1]

“More immigrants have streamed into South Florida than to most American cities, and for decades, employers have relied on them to wash dishes, put up drywall and care for grandmothers. Still, there are not enough to fill Miami’s relentless boomtown demand for [restaurant] workers.”

“As unemployment rates nationwide have sunk to record lows, filching workers — from kitchens and construction sites, warehouses and Walmarts, truck cabs and nursing homes — has become routine. In cities like Miami that are magnets for immigrants, newcomers have filled some job openings, but employers across several industries and states insist that many more are needed for their businesses to function, let alone grow.”

“[M]ost economists say . . . that there is plenty of room [for immigrants]. Immigrants make the country richer, they argue. For example, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office who has advised Republican presidential candidates and now leads the conservative American Action Forum, says, “Without immigration, we shrink as a nation. . . .That’s because growth is driven by two ingredients: the size of the work force and how efficiently those workers produce things. And both are creeping well behind the postwar average.”

A key reason in this analysis is “Americans are having fewer babies. Birth rates fell last year to a three-decade low, ensuring that the next generation of native-born Americans will be smaller than the current one.”

Moreover, “using census data, the investment company the Blackstone Group estimates that without immigration, the working-age population between 25 and 64 years old would drop by 17 million by 2035. [Its Vice chairman of Private Wealth Solutions says,]“We really need immigrants. If we have a shrinking population, it’s going to be tough to have rising G.D.P.,” or gross domestic product.”

“At the moment, there are 7.3 million job openings nationwide and six million people unemployed. That gap is expected to widen as the number of retirees grows faster than the number of new workers.”

While some immigrants may take jobs from U.S. citizens, “they also help create jobs — by generating demand for goods and services like groceries, haircuts and homes.” In addition, “immigrants complement American workers. More educated women, for example, may decide to work if the availability of immigrants makes child care more affordable.”

This positive economic impact is seen in Dallas, Texas where 32.2% of all businesses are owned by immigrants while generating 55,000 jobs and nearly $495 million of business income. A study concluded that “immigrants tend to be more able, ambitious, aggressive and entrepreneurial than those who chose to stay in their place of origin.” [2]

Overhanging businesses, especially restaurants, in finding and hiring more workers is the legal risk of hiring undocumented individuals. In March and April of this year “the Social Security Administration sent letters to hundreds of thousands of business owners, notifying them that the names of some employees did not match the Social Security numbers on their tax forms.” In response some employers are planning to fire their undocumented workers or adopt more stringent hiring procedures such as using the E-Verify program to check the new hires’ documents. If, however, the employers ignore these “no-match” letters, a subsequent immigration audit by Immigration and Customs Enforcement could conclude that they had “constructive knowledge” of their employees’ immigration status and thereby expose the employer to hefty fines and possible criminal charges. [3]

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[1] Cohen, Is Immigration at Its Limit? Not for Employers, N.Y.Times (Aug. 22, 2019). This blog consistently has argued that the U.S. needs more immigrants. See, for example, these 2019 posts to dwkcommentaries.com: More Warnings of the Problems Facing U.S. Aging, Declining Population (Aug. 14, 2019); Additional Support for U.S. Needing More Immigrants (May 18, 2019); Trump Erroneously Says U.S. Is “Full,” (April 9, 2019); U.S. Construction Industry Needs More Immigrants (April 3, 2019); Businesses Need More Immigrants (Mar. 24, 2019);“America’s Farms Need Immigrants” (Mar. 22, 2019).

[2] Vizcaino, ‘What do you lose if you don’t have anything?–Why 1 in 3 Dallas businesses are owned by immigrants, Dallas Morning News (Aug. 16, 2019)

[3] Yaffe-Bellany, Hiring Is Very Hard for Restaurants These Days. Now They May Have to Fire, N.Y. Times (Aug. 23, 2019).

Congressmen Reiterate Call for Re-Designation of Cuba as “State Sponsor of Terrorism”

On July 10, 2019, two Republican Congressmen from Florida=–Mario Diaz-Balart and Francis Rooney– asked Secretary of State Pompeo to re-designate Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”[1]

Their letter said the following:

“We strongly commend you and President Trump and his administration for imposing tough sanctions on the brutal regime in Cuba, and for the unprecedented decision to allow lawsuits to proceed against traffickers in confiscated properties,” said Diaz-Balart. “With these key changes, there remains a major mistake of the previous administration to rectify: returning Cuba to the state sponsors of terrorism list. The Cuban regime smuggled weapons to North Korea, harbors fugitives including a convicted murderer on the FBI’s ‘Top Ten Most Wanted Terrorist’ list, and planted thousands of operatives in Venezuela. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to continue its commendable policy of applying pressure to oppressive, anti-American dictatorships. Classifying Cuba as a terrorist state is an important next step in that robust policy.”
“Four years ago, President Obama removed Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism,” said Rooney. “Despite this decision, Cuba has continued to support known terrorist organizations and corrupt dictators such as the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and has continued to harbor known terrorists sought by American law enforcement. Accordingly, I support the Administration’s firm stance toward our communist island neighbor and urge Secretary Pompeo and President Trump to redesignate Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
“The State Department defines State Sponsors of Terrorism as ‘Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act.’”
“Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions,” the State Department adds. “Designation under the above-referenced authorities also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors.”

Congressman Rooney separately stated, “Four years ago, president Obama removed Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Despite this decision, Cuba has continued to support known terrorist organizations and corrupt dictators such as the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, and has continued to harbor known terrorists sought by American law enforcement. Accordingly, I support the Administration’s firm stance toward our communist island neighbor and urge Secretary Pompeo and President Trump to redesignate Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”

Congressman Diaz-Balart added, “I commend President Trump and his administration for imposing tough sanctions on the brutal regime in Cuba, and for the unprecedented decision to allow lawsuits to proceed against traffickers in confiscated properties. With these key changes, there remains a major mistake of the previous administration to rectify: returning Cuba to the state sponsors of terrorism list. The Cuban regime smuggled weapons to North Korea, harbors fugitives including a convicted murderer on the FBI’s “Top Ten Most Wanted Terrorist” list, and planted thousands of operatives in Venezuela. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to continue its commendable policy of applying pressure to oppressive, anti-American dictatorships. Classifying Cuba as a terrorist state is an important next step in that robust policy.”

Congressman Rooney serves as the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

This proposed re-designation is a bad idea and should not be adopted.[2]

As of August 21, that re-designation has not happened. Nor have there been any further comments on the subject from these two Congressmen or from Secretary Pompeo or the State Department.

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[1] Derby, Return Cuba to ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ List, Urge Florida Congressmen, Sunshine State News (Julyu 11, 2019); Press Release, Diaz-Balart, Rooney Urge Secretary Pompeo to Reclassify Cuba as State Sponsor of Terrorism (July 10, 2019); Press Release, Reps. Rooney and Diaz-Balart Urge Secretary Pompeo to Re-classify Cuba as State Sponsor of Terrorism (July 10, 2019).

[2] See the posts through 06/20/15 listed in the “Cuba: State Sponsor of Terrorism?’ section of List of Posts to dwkcommentaries: Topical: CUBA; See also these posts: U.S. and Cuba Discuss Counterterrorism Cooperation (June 10, 2016); No Mention of Cuba in U.S. State Department’s Latest Report on Terrorism (July 20, 2017); U.S. Considering Re-Designating Cuba as “State Sponsor of Terrorism,” (Jan. 26, 2019).