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RESOLUTION SUPPORTING H. RES. 664, OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION PENDING BEFORE, OR FILED FOR CONSIDERATION IN, THE 115TH UNITED STATES CONGRESS CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE EXTRADITION OR RENDERING TO THE UNITED STATES OF CONVICTED FELONS WILLIAM MORALES, JOANNE CHESIMARD, AND ALL OTHER FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE WHO ARE RECEIVING SAFE HARBOR IN CUBA TO ESCAPE PROSECUTION OR CONFINEMENT FOR CRIMINAL OFFENSES COMMITTED IN THE UNITED STATES

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WHEREAS, H. Res. 664 has been introduced in the 115th Congress by U.S. Representative Peter King (R � New York); and
WHEREAS, H. Res. 664 has a number of cosponsors, including the following Members of Congress from Florida: U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis (R � Florida), U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R � Florida), U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo (R � Florida), and U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R � Florida); and
WHEREAS, H. Res. 664:
* calls for the immediate extradition or rendering to the United States of convicted felons William Morales, Joanne Chesimard, and all other fugitives from justice who are receiving safe harbor in Cuba to escape prosecution or confinement for criminal offenses committed in the United States;
* urges the international community to continue to press for the immediate extradition or rendering of all fugitives who are receiving safe harbor in Cuba; and
* calls on the Secretary of State and the Attorney General of the United States to continue to press for the immediate extradition or rendering of all fugitives from the United States so that they may be tried and, if convicted, serve out their sentences here; and
WHEREAS, William Morales is a convicted bomb-maker for the terrorist organization known as Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci�n Nacional Puertorrique�a (FALN), who committed numerous terrorist attacks here in the United States, including the bombings of Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan in 1975 and the Mobil Oil employment office in New York in 1977, which killed five people and injured over 60 others; and
WHEREAS, Morales was convicted in February 1979 for possession and transportation of explosives and a shotgun, but subsequently escaped from Bellevue Hospital in May 1979, fleeing to Mexico and eventually emigrating to Cuba in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Morales is on the FBI �Most Wanted Terrorists� list with a reward of $100,000 for information leading to his arrest; and
WHEREAS, Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, is a former member of the Black Liberation Army who was convicted in 1977 of the first-degree murder, under New Jersey�s �aiding and abetting� statute, of State Trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973; and
WHEREAS, Chesimard escaped from prison in 1979 and fled to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum; and
WHEREAS, Chesimard is on the FBI�s �Most Wanted Terrorists� list with a reward of $2 million for information leading to her capture; and

WHEREAS, H. Res. 664 also lists Charles Hill, wanted for the killing of a state trooper in New Mexico, and Victor Manuel Gerena, wanted for carrying out a brutal robbery of a Wells Fargo armored car in Connecticut, among other fugitives who are receiving safe harbor in Cuba; and
WHEREAS, according to H. Res. 664, more than 70 fugitives from the United States, charged with offenses ranging from hijacking to kidnapping to drug offenses to murder, are believed to be currently receiving safe harbor in Cuba; and
WHEREAS, for nearly a century, the United States has had a bilateral extradition treaty with Cuba; and
WHEREAS, in January 2002, Cuba extradited Jesse James Bell, a United States fugitive wanted on drug charges; and
WHEREAS, in March 2002, Cuba extradited Luis Hernando Gomez Bustamante to Colombia, which in turn extradited him to the United States in July 2007 to face drug trafficking charges here; and
WHEREAS, Cuba should abide by its extradition treaty with the United States and immediately extradite to the United States persons legally indicted or convicted of serious criminal offenses here; and
WHEREAS, this Board now wishes to support the proposed resolution,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Supports H. Res. 664, or similar legislation pending before, or filed for consideration in, the 115th United States Congress calling for the immediate extradition or rendering to the United States of convicted felons William Morales, Joanne Chesimard, and all other fugitives from justice who are receiving safe harbor in Cuba to escape prosecution or confinement for criminal offenses committed in the United States.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit certified copies of this resolution to U.S. Representative Peter King (R � New York) and the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the legislation described in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2018 Federal Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.