The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION PEDRO PAN
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HON. CARLOS A. GIMENEZ
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, December 20, 2021
Mr. GIMENEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 60th anniversary of Operation Pedro Pan. Fidel Castro's communist regime tainted a country beyond repair over six decades ago. Parents on the island became increasingly concerned with the communist rise and indoctrination of their children that was taking place in schools. What is today known as Operation Pedro Pan was the result of concerned parents making a critical decision about how their children would be taught and educated and these parents ultimately deciding to send their children to the United States, where freedom and liberty are guaranteed in our Constitution.
Operation Pedro Pan took place from December 1960 to October 1962 and was created by the Catholic Welfare Bureau. More than a thousand Cuban minors left the island and arrived in the United States. Upon arrival, many of the minors were reunited with relatives and family friends residing in the United States, while others were looked after by the Catholic Welfare Bureau. Other children were part of the Cuban Refugee Children's Program where they were relocated to various other states.
South Florida became a central hub where many minors arrived and settled. Throughout the years those who arrived in the United States have contributed significantly. Many went on to pursue various career fields that include business, medicine, education, law, and public service. Others went on to become small business owners and citizens who have come to strongly advocate on behalf of the courageous freedom fighters in Cuba who have endured decades of oppression under the communist regime.
Operation Pedro Pan is the largest organized exodus of unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere to this day. On its 60th anniversary, I want to highlight the significant contributions that many of those who arrived because of Operation Pedro Pan have made. I know firsthand the American dream many of the exiles achieved because I immigrated to this country with my family when I was a young boy. In just one generation, my family went from Cuba to Congress. I believe with all my heart and soul that in no other country in the world is that achievement possible.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 219
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