Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (born July 15, 1952 in Havana as Ileana Ros y Adato ) is an American politician ( Republican Party ) and has been a member of the House of Representatives of the United States since 1989 , where she represents the 27th  electoral district of the state of Florida . In 2018, the Cuban exile did not stand for re-election.

Life

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was born in Cuba to Enrique Ros, a Florida-based Cuban businessman and opponent of Fidel Castro . From there she got to Miami . She attended Southside, Riverside and Shenandoah Public Elementary School, then West Miami Middle School, and finally Southwest High School . She eventually graduated from Miami-Dade Community College . After that, Ros-Lehtinen attended Florida International University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts . She then founded and ran a private primary school . She also earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from Florida International University and a Doctorate from the University of Miami .

politics

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1982 as the first Hispanic woman to be elected. In 1986 she was elected to the State Senate. During her tenure in the Senate, she met Dexter Lehtinen and married him. After Claude Pepper's death in 1989, the seat in the United States House of Representatives became vacant, Ros-Lehtinen managed to get it. She was supported by Jeb Bush , who was able to promote his popularity among the Cubans in exile in Florida. She was the first Cuban American to be elected to Congress. Until 2013 she represented the 18th congressional electoral district of her state. After restructuring the constituencies in Florida, she has represented the 27th constituency in the House of Representatives since 2013. Between 2011 and 2013 she headed the Foreign Affairs Committee , of which she is still a member.

After fourteen re-elections, most recently in 2016 , she will exercise her mandate in the House of Representatives until the current 115th Congress . At the end of April 2017, Ros-Lehtinen announced that she would not run again in the 2018 election. She therefore left the Congress on January 3, 2019. Your constituency, in which the Democrats generally have a lead over the Republicans (PVI D + 5), was thus seen as one of the best opportunities for them to gain an additional mandate. The constituency was won by the Democrat Donna Shalala .

Positions

Cuba

Ros-Lehtinen is a prominent voice in the Cuban-American lobby , advocating pressure on the Cuban government for political change on the island (see Cuba-United States Relations ). She is a member of the Congress Committee for a Democratic Cuba (Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus) and campaigned against an end to the US embargo on Cuba . In 2004 she founded the Cuba Democracy Group to curb US agricultural exports there and prevent US banks from doing business.

In the 1980s, Ros-Lehtinen campaigned for the pardon and release of the Cuban exile Orlando Bosch , who was accused of terrorist attacks and of being involved in the 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455 , which resulted in 73 deaths . She played a prominent role in the failed attempt to prevent the custody of the birth father of Elián González , who was six at the time , who wanted to bring his son back to Cuba with the support of the Cuban government after the death of Elián's mother. In 2002 she tried to prevent Jimmy Carter's visit to Cuba, which the George W. Bush administration finally allowed. She also stood up for the refugee Velentin Hernández when he was charged with the murder of the Cuban exile Luciano Nieves, who had spoken out in favor of negotiations with the Cuban government.

Furthermore, Ros-Lehtinen caused controversy when she called for the murder of Fidel Castro. She appeared in the British documentary 638 Ways to Kill Castro ("638 ways to kill Fidel Castro") with the remark "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people." the opportunity to kill anyone, Fidel Castro, or any other leader who oppresses his people. ")

Israel, Palestine and Iran

Ros-Lehtinen is considered one of the most influential pro- Israeli voices in Congress. She refuses to support the United Nations Aid Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East and tabled a legislative proposal not to support UN organizations that recognize the State of Palestine .

One of Ros Lehtinen's most important campaign donors is Irving Moskowitz , who supports illegal Israeli settlements . In 2011, the J Street lobby group asked them to reject the donations and no longer undermine the US government's policy of finding a two-state solution .

In 2007 she introduced a law in the House of Representatives that should open up additional legal action for Holocaust victims because of the assertion of claims from insurance contracts , which would have called into question the German-American agreement on the foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” .

As the highest-ranking Republican representative on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, she has taken a stance against Iran : "The US must put the begging bowl aside, act like a world leader and take the lead in the effort to impose immediate crippling sanctions against the Iranian regime."

Taiwan

In the Taiwan conflict , Ros-Lehtinen appeared several times as a committed defender of Taiwan's statehood vis-à-vis the People's Republic of China . Taiwan needs "all means to protect itself from Chinese aggression and coercion". On April 3, 2018, she awarded Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen a medal for this.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Duncan Campbell: The Bush Dynasty and the Cuban criminals. In: The Guardian , December 2, 2002 (English).
  2. ↑ Eric Bradner: Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, first Cuban-American in Congress, to retire. In: CNN.com , April 30, 2017 (English).
  3. ↑ Jake Tapper : The ghost of terror past. In: Salon.com , January 11, 2002 (English).
  4. ↑ Who Should Decide the Destiny of Elian Gonzalez? CNN recordings.
  5. ^ Ann Louise Bardach: Cuba confidential. P. 351; Will Jimmy Carter Become First President to Visit Castro in Cuba? CNN recordings.
  6. ^ Ann Louise Bardach: Our Man's in Miami. Patriot or Terrorist? In: The Washington Post , April 17, 2005.
  7. ^ Palestinian Statehood: A Bad Bill for Everyone. In: The Economist , September 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ Hilary Leila Krieger: J Street tells Ros-Lehtinen to give up Moskowitz donations. In: The Jerusalem Post , January 19, 2011 (English).
  9. ↑ Stefan Ruhkamp: Insurers are threatened with a new debate about billions in compensation. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , April 21, 2008.
  10. ↑ Knut Mellenthin : Neocons on the war path. In: Junge Welt , October 5, 2009.
  11. ↑ Stacy Hsu: US lawmaker urges action on Taiwan. Taipei Times, April 3, 2018, accessed April 8, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ileana Ros y Adato (maiden name); Ileana Ros
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Politician (Republican)
DATE OF BIRTH July 15, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Havana