The current Administration has turned its back on Latin America, with predictable results. Rather than supporting our democratic allies in the region, the President has prioritized engagement with our enemies in the region. Venezuela represents an increasing threat to U.S. security, a threat that has has grown much worse on [...]

In July, Hugo Chavez commented on the United States  presidential election, saying that he thought Barack Obama was “deep down a good guy.” Earlier this summer, Mariela Castro, daughter of titular Cuban dictator Raul Castro, who taunts Cuba’s brave pro-democracy activists as “despicable parasites,” also praised President Obama after his [...]

Aug 17, 2012 Miami, Florida – Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) issued the following statement after reports that Ecuador’s Rafael Correa had granted asylum to serial leaker of classified documents, Julian Assange. Ros-Lehtinen’s statement: “If anyone had doubts about the true objective of Rafael Correa and his leftist authoritarian regime, then [...]

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) issued the following statement today congratulating a dozen former U.S. Ambassadors and foreign policy makers who announced their support for “Commitment to Freedom”, a document that rejects ties with Cuba as long as the Castros are in power. When the document was drafted in [...]

Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Freedom of Expression in Ecuador In the United States Senate August 2, 2012 Mr. President, several weeks ago I spoke in this chamber about the assault on freedom of expression in Ecuador, where President Correa has sought to silence his critics including the Special [...]

RESOLUTION Expressing concern regarding the conditions of democracy, freedom of the press, human rights, business and investment climate, counternarcotics cooperation, and the relationship with Iran, in Ecuador prior to the July 31,  2013, expiration of the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. Whereas [...]

Thursday, August 2, 2012 (WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of State urging the Department not to extend the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) for Ecuador due to ongoing abuses of human rights and a deteriorating [...]

WASHINGTON- Today Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, introduced bipartisan legislation with Ranking Member Eliot Engel (NY-17) condemning the conditions of democracy and human rights in Ecuador and expressing concern over Ecuador’s business and security practices. The Mack/Engel legislation, H.Res. 745, represents Congress’ resistance to [...]

Ecuadorian banks shield Iran’s money By Otto J. Reich & Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger | Originally published in Newsmax READ THE OFFICIAL RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS HERE Ecuador’s Central Bank issued a press release on Monday denying accusations made by several members of its National Assembly about a financial triangulation mechanism that would permit [...]

While President Obama made headlines for downplaying the threat posed by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez to national security, such naive remarks should hardly come as a surprise given his track record. Though most of Mr. Obama’s newsworthy foreign policy proclamations have pertained to the Middle East, Europe and Asia, his judgment calls on Latin [...]