Speech referencing Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's parents:
Speaking of freedom, I want to recognize one special couple here, not just as Ileana's proud parents but as defenders of liberty who struggled against Communist tyranny. I saw them smiling back there when their daughter was speaking -- Enrique and Amanda Ros. Why don't -- Amanda, you and Enrique stand up now so we can see you. Some of you, not all of you, know the story, so let me repeat it here.
As successful American entrepreneurs, they've proven once again, like so many here today, that if you're willing to work hard America is still the home of freedom and opportunity like nowhere else on Earth. Ileana tells of how, in 1939, her grandfather took a small boat into Havana Harbor to rescue his cousin who was trapped aboard the SS Saint Louis, a Jew fleeing the Nazi Holocaust. Ileana's grandfather watched helplessly as the infamous ``Voyage of the Damned'' was turned away. And that's why her grandfather helped smuggle Jewish refugees out of Cuba when Castro's tyranny crushed freedom on the island, crushed religious freedom -- crushed all freedom.
Her experiences give her an increased sensitivity to the problems of all oppressed minorities, wherever they may be. She's a strong supporter of Israel, of free emigration for Soviet Jews, and of the freedom fighters who are battling Communist oppression in this hemisphere and overseas. And that is principle; that is tough leadership. And that is Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.