Statement from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez on U.S., Cuba relations and the release of Alan Gross
(MIAMI, December 17, 2014) – "I was briefed by a White House official prior to President Obama's remarks earlier this afternoon. I reiterated that Miami-Dade County is home to the majority of Cuban-Americans in the United States who, like me and my family, fled their homeland to escape tyranny. Our community knows all too well the painful history between our two countries.
"While I welcome the release of Alan Gross and another person, I am deeply disturbed that it appears that in this negotiation we did not secure freedoms for the Cuban people. My condolences go to the families of the four Cuban-Americans who lost their lives on February 24, 1996.
"I continue to believe that Cubans and all people throughout the world deserve to have freedom and human rights. It is my hope that Cuba will be a free and democratic nation soon."