Upgrading Cuba to Tier 2 Watch List of Trafficking Report Is An Insult to the Cuban People

Upgrading Cuba to Tier 2 Watch List of Trafficking Report Is An Insult to the Cuban People

“It is well known that the Castro regime not only supports sex tourism, but it profits from it.”

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, made the following statement after the State Department upgrading Cuba to the Tier 2 Watch List from Tier 3 of the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“It has become clear that the White House’s willingness to bend over backward to appease the ruthless dictators in Cuba knows no bounds. As the Department of State announced today the release of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2015, Secretary Kerry penned a letter on State’s website stating ‘Trafficking in persons is an insult to human dignity and an assault on freedom.’ However, it seems like Cuba is an exception to these words as the State Department has insulted the people of Cuba by upgrading Cuba to Tier 2 Watch List.

“It is well known that the Castro regime not only supports sex tourism, but it profits from it. In February of this year, Ladies in White leader Berta Soler testified before Congress that the Castro regime promotes child prostitution in Cuba. At a Congressional hearing, she stated that young women in Cuba are ‘preserving themselves for when American tourism arrives so they can sell themselves to American tourists.’ This is the reality of what occurs in Castro’s Cuba that has been ignored by the State Department for its own political reasons.”