all of them have treated with cuba. -- traded with cuba. that has not changed the oppressive regime in cuba. what the president is doing is changing from a policy that many people think has not worked to a policy that we know has not worked and that is my answer. >> why do most cuban-americans of your younger generation believe that it is time to engage the islanders? >> we have lived under this policy our entire lives and have yet to see it yield any sort of result whatsoever. sorry. we have seen that for as long as i have been around, almost as long as i have been around our policy towards cuba has been dictated by south florida politics, not by the sober assessment of the right approach to that country or what is in the best interests of the united states. i have seen that process, i grew up in a household where my parents were staunchly in favor of the embargo and believed that trying to choke the economy was going to be the best way to bring about change and i grew up believing the same. it was not until i had an opportunity to visit i

and cuba. and i think that many times is the ways in which societies become more open and accountable and democratic. and trade and cultural exchange becomes mutually beneficial. i think the embargo has impeded u.s. relations throughout the western hemisphere. as many latin american nations viewed the embargo itself a human rights violation against the cuban people. as a u.s. citizen i definitely consider it my human right to be able to travel to any nation on the earth and i resented the fact that it has been difficult. americans can go to cuba and i have been to cuba but it is very difficult to go there. and i don't believe -- and i might be wrong. but i don't believe we have that restriction against any other nation in the world. including iran north korea and saudi arabia all of which have troubling human rights records. such travel restrictions as well as those of trade also violate the freedom of the u.s. citizens in recent polling in the news and the washington post reveals a majority of

cuba. it's hard to have a different opinion. i just wanted to respect what i knew you and iliana's family has been there and that was all. >> i think the ranking woman as i said for your kind statements and i took it as a kind statement that i'm saying the issue of human rights in the consistency on that is important. when we look at the folks that are here today i mention south africa. in front of us today are the mandela's, the future leaders of a free and democratic cuba. when folks talk about cuba they sometimes confuse the regime with cuba. no this is cuba in front of us today. they who have spent years in prison, 17 years in prison. ask him about the conditions of the prisons. ask them about how well the cuban people are treated. just go to youtube and look at her videos to find out how respected and how well the cuban people who dared just speak out for freedom are treated. ask burqa solaris about what happens when you walk peacefully with a flower in your hand going to church and as

many leaders in cuba who want to stay in cuba and fight for cuba and love cuba. so whenever somebody says to you all cubans it is not true. all kinds of cubans. >> finish up on that point, mr. herrero? >> just a couple points. it was mostly driven by south florida politics. what we've seen in recent elections cuba is no longer the third rail of south florida politics the way it used to be. we saw that with 2012 campaign where obama won close to 50% of the cuban-american vote. we saw this in the most recent campaign where charlie crist even though he lost also won close to 50% of the cuban-american vote. i think about 30,000 more votes alex sink had in 2010 in miami-dade. what i want to go back to, cuba couple other points we mentioned. >> very briefly. >> i will try to be very brief. constantly call castro government liars crooks can't be trusted. >> they are. >> fine. but then when ever they make a full-throated demand for lifts embargo do we believe that is what they really want? think about that for a second. second during the special period gdp in cuba droppe

cuba may open up to u.s. telecom and greater internet access, but attempt to really control that, and kind of convert the internet into cuba's authoritarian image and control the internet. >> it was cell braided saying this is giving the people their voice, but if change does not happen quick enough in cuba, will there be a backlash against forces coming in saying things are not normal, but you are doing better. >> you had real revolutions in the arab countries and there was this backlash against all this hope. what's risky in cuba is a fabulous blog post analyzed this saying what are the cubans going to do with their rising hopes? what she finds walking the streets in cuba is everybody has great expectations, but they are going to have to be lowered to the reality because the reality is going to be very slow. both sides say that publicly, reacting to the reality check. >> the reality check is we are going to take a quick break. stay with us. >> welcome back. i'm del walters in new york. we are going to take

they fled cuba. you should come to miami and meet with my constituents and have them tell you about this great medical care. i've seen it in the michael moore documentary, sicko. where does that exist? where is that medical care for these folks? i know that if you're a tourist you will certainly be treated well. it's good propaganda. public education, advancement of lgbt rights. the real truth is that the good medical care is just a show for the castro regime reserved only for the regime officials and the tourists. i know because i represent that community. my district is overwhelmingly cuban americans. i don't know how i got elected. it's just a fluke i guess. but these are the folks who vote for me and vote for mario and vote for carlos rubello, vote for marco rubio, vote for menendez and cerez. but we know the medical care for the vast majority of cubans, they have noack assess access to medical care. they should be thrown in jail for exposing the truth about abortions, being committed and the poo

policy or cuba? -- toward cuba?do we basically have no contact with them and we don't trade with them generally so the policy we have been talking about that has been implemented for 50 something years what is the purpose? what is the goal of the policy? is that clear? >> you mean the previous policy? >> the previous policy until it changed, tweaked a little bit. >> the goal of the previous policy was via isolation of cuba and keeping our distance from government, we would hope to bring about changes in the regime and simultaneously we would hope to empower the cuban people to be able to make that change. >> change the regime? change communism, change what? >> certainly change their behavior towards their own citizens. >> so that's our goal so cuba internally changes the treatment of cuban citizens? >> certainly -- the. >> i'm not trying to catch you on semantics. i am just trying to see what our goal is. the goal is to do this so cuban people are treated like they should be? >> in terms of international human right

or buy sugar from cuba -- cuba used to be the leading supplier of sugar. this whole idea that you have to grow this -- corporate has ruined the entire economy. there is no real free business in cuba. even the people that you deal with that you say got 200 licenses, the cuban government can remove those licenses at a drop. >> it's true, mr. sires, if i could. i met with seven or eight of these entrepreneurs, people really trying to run their own businesses restaurateurs barber. a woman making soap. a woman doing decoration on clothes. and you can see people beginning to separate their own economic future from the government and having trouble because they can't get the supplies. the state doesn't want to provide them the supplies, that's who we're trying to help. >> but yet the leaders in cuba have all of the supplies. that's what i'm trying to break. this is what runs the island. the generals the people you see driving in the cars you see them living in the houses that were repossessed from people who worked hard in their businesses before the castro takeo

they fled cuba.ou should come to miami and meet with my constituents and have them tell you about this great medical care. i have seen them in the michael moore documentary "sicko." where does that exist? where does that care exist for these folks? if you are a tourist, you will certainly be treated well. it is good propaganda. public education, advancement of lgb t writes? the truth is that medical care is reserved for the regime officials and the tourists. i know because i represent that community. my district is overwhelmingly cuban-american. i do not know how i got elected. it is just a fluke, i guess. but it is a vote for me and mario, marco rubio, bob menendez. we know that the system of medical care in cuba, for the vast majority of cubans, they have no access to the system. please interview the people as they get off the planes from cuba. one doctor thrown in jail for disclosing the truth about abortions being committed, and the poor hospital conditions. and mr. smith has brought that out tim

cuba now add voluntary catesvocates engagement in cuba. director of the study group in washington. he is a former executive director of the miami-dade democratic party and served on the 2012 presidential campaign of venezuela opposition leader and enrique capris. he has appeared on tv including cnn in espanol. welcome, rick. [ applause ] >> rick, i want to start with you, and i want to start where we left off with an on-air communication on wrln that has to do with the central premise that president obama laid out for why he undertook this very dramatic, very historic change in the u.s.'s policy towards cuba. the president said in hisx;yfte of the union address as well, if something isn't working after 50 years, you can't expect a different result. you have to move to a f? different approach. you pointed out, however, that you thought the central premise was wrong, that while the policy of isolating cuba and the embargo had not brought about regime change in cuba the policy had still been a success. i was wondering if you could tell us why

to cuba. there was a attempt to overthrow castro. the invasion in the bay of pigs was a fiasco and propaganda coup for castro and a black eye for the new president john f. kennedy. 1962, kennedy extended the cuban embargo with the exception of humanitarian aid but not before purchasing 1200 cuban cigars for personal use. then came the cuban missile crisis and the united states and soviet union had a tense stand off over the weapons deployed in cuba. as part of the settlement, the u.s. agreed not to invade. but president kennedy imposed restrictions and preventing u.s. citizens from traveling there. and over the next few days, presidential support for the embargo waxed and waned. >> there is no fresh bread or meat on sale only goods from china and russia. >> the nation was a constant thorn in the side of the u.s. and it lent cuba a romantic mystique. and celebrities in hollywood spoke highly of fidel. and praised the socialized health care system. and bill deblasio travelled to havana for his h

policy toward cuba. the overwhelming majority of those who have come here have made incredible contributions to this country and become a deep part of the fabric of our society. a great example we have here on this panel our colleagues and my friends chairman emeritus ross layton and representative syrez. policies were pout in place to make sure those who sought refuge in the u.s. could still see their families or send remittances are being taken of by small minorities for criminal gain. they've turned our humanitarian policy into an underground criminal enterprise by reducing their ability to return to and from cuba to engage in illicit fraud activities transporting large sums of cash back to the island evading arrest as the cuban regime will not arrest these fugitives. they have turned our open-door policy into a resolving door enabling "crooks from the island to rob american businesses and taxpayers of more than $2 billion over two decades." as the administration rebalances its relationship with cuba,

>> a member of the patriotic union of cuba knows fist hand the limits on freedom inside cuba.wo years ago he was arrested and em prisoned for what in america would be an every day exercise in political speech. even those speaking his mind was what landed him in prison. he was willing to speak with us. >> my namei was born in santiago cuba. i do believe my life is in danger speaking to the media. i use this form of communication to let the world know about a my situation if something happened to me everybody knows the truth. >> the owners of this country raul fidel they have been in rule for 55 years they own everything. cubans cannot run own their own businesses we cannot have everything because they manipulate everything. they back fired on them in real life. >> can you explain a little bit more about march 23rd? >> on march 23rd during a peaceful rally asking for changes on the island of cuba the police arrested. >> this was the shirt i wore the day of my arrest. these are bloodstains on my shirt. the police officer picked me up and through me against the ground. i was threa

cuba policy. i appreciate this committee's engagement in the western hemisphere and know all of your strong commitment, the democratic values, social and human rights and diplomatic community in the americas and cuba and thank you and support for the long overdue return for alan gross and his family. during his detention the administration has worked closely with many members of congress in both parties to secure his release. we are grateful for the essential role of canada, pope francis, and the vatican in reaching an agreement that made mr. gross is freedom possible. on december 17 the president announced a knew policy toward cuba, one that will better enable us to effectively advance our values and help the cuban people move into the 21st century. our previous approach to relations with cuba over half a century were rooted in the best of intentions, failed to empower the cuban people, instead isolating us from our democratic partners in the semester and around the world. in addition, the cuban

policy toward cuba? that we basically have no contact with them, we do not trade with them generally. this policy that we have been talking about that has been implement it for 50-something years. what is the purpose, what is the goal of that policy? is that clear? >> you mean the previous policy? >> the previous policy until it was changed by this president. tweaked a little bit. >> the goal of the previous policy was that via isolation of cuba and keeping our distance from that government, we would hope to bring about change in the regime. would hope to empower the cuban people to be able to make that change. >> change of -- change the regime? change their communism? change what? >> certainly change their behavior towards their own citizens. >> ok. so that's our goal so cuba internally changes their treatment of cuban citizens? >> certainly in terms of -- >> i'm not trying to catch you on semantics. i'm just trying to see what our goal is. our goal is to do this, so the cuban people are treated like th

exports to cuba. cuba has an international penetration of blocksly -- internet penetration of blocksly 5%, one of the lowest in the world. in order to better facilitate the free flow of information to from, and among the cuban people, it eased restrictions to better provide efficient and adequate telecommunication services between the united states and cuba and to increase access to telecommunications and internet based services for the cuban people. as i conclude, i should make one thing absolutely clear. even with these changes i described, most transactions between the united states and cuba most imports, most exports, and most other activitieses remain prohibited. as ofac implements these changes, we will continue to enforce the cuban sanctions program vigorously using all of our available tools and take action against violators as appropriate. the president's december 17 announcement laid out a new course for relations with cuba. ofac's amendments to the regulations in concert with the regulatory

and cuba. and i think that many times is the ways in which societies become more open and accountable and democratic. and trade and cultural exchange becomes mutually beneficial. i think the embargo has impeded u.s. relations throughout the western hemisphere. as many latin american nations viewed the embargo itself a human rights violation against the cuban people. i have to say that as a u.s. citizen i definitely consider it my human right to be able to travel to any nation on the earth and i resented the fact that it has been difficult. americans can go to cuba and i have been to cuba but it is very difficult to go there. and i don't believe -- and i might be wrong. but i don't believe we have that restriction against any other nation in the world. including iran, north korea and saudi arabia all of which have troubling human rights records. such travel restrictions as well as those of trade also violate the freedom of the u.s. citizens in recent polling in the news and the washington post r

post embargo cuba.tuation they were sort of getting ready for in the 1990s now there seems to be momentum for it. you see polling in florida this vociferous area that last kept the embargo in place. the polling shows the favor is on cuba called on congress to lift the embargo. >> rum is obviously the product and bacardi is the company. what does postembargo cuba look like? >> nobody talks about this when they talk about the embargo how terrible it is for cuban businesses or ex isles. the letter of the law says, that in order to lift the u.s. embargo against cuba you have to find some resolution for all these companies, you have the exxon mobiles and the coca-cola some sort of potential compensation. >> rather than a bunch of independent legal settlements we might see some kind of a blanket offering. >> right now cuba doesn't have the money to shell out billions of dollars. we are seeing a market change as far as what's transpiring with cuba and with some of these companies kicked out in 1959. >> excelle

and cuba.one who participated in the bay of pigs invasion it is just fascinating for us to imagine what that was like. what was your role in it and what was your hope for the invasion if --? >> my role i was essentially a foot soldier. our expectations were that we were going to win. >> did you hit the beach? >> yes, i hit the beach and we fought for three case until we run out of ammunition and i was captured. after spending about 20 days running in the swamps and spent 18 months in jail. like i said the expectation is that we were going to win. but after three days, we ran out of ammunition. >> and winning would be what? >> winning would be have the plan being -- it was a great plan it just didn't work out. had the plan gone through, we were expecting that the underground in cuba would first of all blow up the bridges on the way to the swamp, to the bay of pigs. secondly, there would be an uprising of a sort in every city in cuba and thirdly, that we would march to havana from the bay of pigs

many in cuba want to stay in cuba and fight for cuba and love cuba.ys all cuban, it's not true. >> can you finish up on that point, mr. herrera? >> yeah. just a couple points. it was mostly driven by south florida florida politics. what we've seen in recent electric, cuba is no longer the third rail of south florida politics as it used to be we saw that in the campaign where president obama won close to 50% of the vote and charlie crist in the governor campaign won almost 50% of the vote 30,000 more than alex sink had previously. we constantly call the castro government liar, crook, can't be trusted -- fine -- whenever they make a full throated demand for lifting of the embargo do we believe it's really what they want. second when the special period of gdp in cuba dropped 35% over the course of four years 35%, they were able to survive that. it is estimated if they lose venezuelan subsidies theyies the gdp drop would drop 30%, and they're trading with the rest of the world. to think this is a time they would bow down to the americans and give in to ou

people in cuba are hurting. so what - what do you think the outcome is of doing something that will as david's peace suggests, start to enrich some of the cuban population. will they renew support for the castros or say "we want free elections." number one, i don't think there is support for the castros. you wouldn't have so many cubans fleeing the island. last year crossing from mexico there were over 22,000 cubans that we know that crossed from mexico. >> they are not happy with the castros. >> they are not happy, there's not that support. there's an enormous amount of remittances from the united states and elsewhere. the piece that was fascinating is that it talks about the divide the racial divide. most of the people that have been able to flee are those with families on the outside. and so if you really wanted to do - it's an opportunity to partner in better smarter ways. >> let me ask you this: if the lifting of the thankses thankses -- sanctions and the embargo makes cubans better off, is na not the goal

policy or cuba?do we basically have no contact with them and we don't trade with them generally so the policy we have been talking about that has been implemented for 50 something years what is the purpose? what is the goal of the policy? >> you mean the previous policy? >> the previous policy obtained by the president tweaked a little bit. >> the goal of the previous policy was via isolation of cuba and keeping our distance from the government that we would hope to bring about changes in the regime and simultaneously we would hope to empower the cuban people to be able to make that change. >> change the regime? change communism, change what? >> certainly change their behavior towards their own citizens. >> so that's our goal so cuba inherently changes the treatment of cuban citizens? >> certainly -- the. >> i'm not trying to catch you on semantics. the goal is to do this so cuban trade -- people are treated like they should be? >> in terms of international human rights standards and that sort of thi

isn't it true that cuba has had venezuela lay a fiber optic cable to cuba, partnered for several years and yet dissidents still don't ever access to the internet and other force of communication, because even if you think the law allows the investment of u.s. dollars to provide the link to the island, there is no guarantee as we see in china and other places that the government of cuba will permit such linkage to say ultimately take plagues to the average cuban. do you have guarantees of that? >> we have no guarantees, but that's why the assistant secretary said it will be clear who is keeping the cuban people from having that connectivity when they are no longer blame any barrier on us. >> well, they don't have a barrier. they already have a fiber optic line directly laid by venezuela into cuba. they had an calendarian company participate, them and there is no connectivity to the cuban people, because the castro regime will not allow that connectivity to take place. at the end of the day you've got no concession from the regime that even if you allow other technical connection to say

-cuba relations.ere is so much more to tell you that was very positive and very exciting and very candid. it was productive, it was positive and it was candid and to tell you more about it i yield first to the gentleman who is ranking member on the foreign affairs committee in mr. engel and you will hear from the others in the order of which i mention. mr. engel. >> thank you very much madam leader and let me first start by thanking leader pelosi for leading this important trip to cuba, haiti and the dominican republic. this was a good trip and the right trip at the right time. president obama's december 17 announcement on cuba told the cuban people we want to move forward. it was clear during our time in cuba that there was an outpouring of affection by the average citizen to the united states and the average people we met on the street were very positive. i feel very strongly that congress has an important role to play in u.s. foreign policy and i think it was very important for us to engage in the

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these cuba.e external actors that have influence in the region in view of the events i thought the gentle lady from florida spelled-out the us must protect the united states national security interest and future negotiations with the cuban government including maintaining us rights to the naval base at guantÁnamo bay i yield back. >> thank you. i recognize the ranking lady from the western hemisphere who also is the one other cuban born member of this committee. born in have on her. or you about? >> yes. >> well, thank you. >> i came to this country when i was 11 years old and experienced some of this government's tactics, but my biggest disappointment with this process has been that i always felt the embargo and the pressure we we will putting on cuba will lead to changes. i do not see where will lead to anything. you. you know it is beyond me that a signature on a peace of paper somehow relieves this dictators pressure. people are not going to benefit. you still have to go to the government. ev

they're talking about america's embargo with trade to cuba, travel to cuba.ow president obama promises to end that. president obama: we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead, we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries. stossel: it's about time say many of us libertarians. embargos rarely work. it gave the castro brothers an excuse. they could blame capitalism for the failure of communism. and the cuban people suffered needlessly. many cuban americans say it's wrong to end the embargo. these protesters call the president a trader. and plenty of republican politicians oppose ending the ban. senator marco rubio says we should strengthen the embargo. ted cruz says obama is appeasing our enemies. >> right when the regime is struggling, president obama stepped in to throw an economic lifeline. and i think that is -- presents a serious danger to our national security. stossel: author em bearto. agrees. tom palmer of the atlas network says this is one time where obama is right. the embargo h

-cuba policy. i want to say that i appreciate that committee's engagement in the western hemisphere and i know all of your strong commitment to democratic values and human rights and economic opportunity in the americas. i want to thank you for support in becoming the long overdue return of alan gross to his family. they worked to secure his release as the president and secretary said we are grateful for the essential roles of canada, pope francis and the vatican in reaching an agreement that made the freedom possible. on december 17th the president announced a new policy that will enable us to advance our values to help the cuban people move into the 21st century. the approach over half a century though rooted in the best of exceptions failed to empower the cuban people. it isolated us from our democratic paper from the hemisphere and around the world. they used this policy as an excuse for restrictions on the citizens and result those most deprived were the cuban people itself. the new approach i

critics say a -- cuba. critics say a glaring example of waste is ongoing support for broadcasts by radio marte and tv marte. congress spent 660 million to fund what many consider ineffective propaganda aimed at students that can't hear or watch it. it's not huge but symbolic of a broader policy that had almost no quantifiable return on investment. cutting off the money to what is an anti-castro industry will not come without a fight of the >> reporter: it's known as domino park in havana. the traditional heart of politics, because of people like this 87-year-old cuban exile coming to socialise, talk about politics and play dominos. 30 years ago he and thousands of others left the islands bound for florida in makeshift rafts. in the years since little havana evolved from an anti-castro hot bed. dozens of agencies cropped up with the purpose of toppling castro's-led government. the activities sustained by hundreds of millions in u.s. funding. the historic shift in relations is raising questions about whether

yo fui invitado a ir a cuba, yo no pedÍ ir a cuba. corazÓn-- con los kennedy, cualquier persona que ha vivido una tragedia, yo siento empatÍa. no puedo decir que siento su dolor. si yo perdiera a uno de mis hijos, no podrÍa tener un dÍa feliz mÁs nunca. >> ¿tienes algÚn favorito para los Óscares? "birdman" estÁ recibiendo mucha atenciÓn. >> no sÉ, no sé quÉ decir. yo pude ganar una vez, y es una noche que nunca olvidas. mucha atenciÓn sobre el oscar, quizÁ demasiada atenciÓn sobre el oscar. esto domina los pensamientos de mucha gente, pero esto no ayuda en nada a la gente que tiene que ir a trabajar. los Óscar vienen y se van, y la gente va a seguir teniendo que ganarse la vida. es importante para la gente que gana, es lamentable para la gente que pierde, y a fin de cuentas, eso no es lo que mueve el mundo. >> finalmente, hablamos con algunos de los factores de "mcfarland, usa", y nos dice que no podÍas contar del uno al tres en espaÑol. ¿es cierto? >> yo puedo contar hasta tres, no como lo hacen ellos. mi acento no es el mismo y debe

that's in cuba? have we talked about some of those issues? >> we certainly considered that in terms of cubans coming to the united states, and when that travel policy was liberalized there was enormous concern among activists that if they left and spoke freely they either wouldn't be able to go home perhaps, or if they went home, they would they would never be able to travel again. the fact that some have traveled repeatedly, i think, is a good sign but some are still fearful. and we raised that issue. >> anyone else have any issues or want to respond to any of the issues as the policies begin to change, what you see in the future as some of the consequences. not so much the reasons -- i'm wanting to move forward. where do we go from here? what do you see that we need to look at as this policy has changed? >> the points i would make are one, we certainly are doing a lot of outreach to all segments of the american public. we understand what the new changes are. and secondly, we'll be watching very car

policy toward cuba.madam chairman denies its open its doors to the cuban people so they could have a better life free from the oppressive castro regime and the overwhelming majority of those who come here have made it an incredible contribution to this country and become a deep fabric of our society. great examples we have here on this panel are colleagues and my friends. policies put in place to ensure that those who sought refuge in the u.s. would still be able to see their families or send remittances are being taken advantage of by small binaries for criminal gain. officials engaged in organized criminal activity have turned her humanitarian policy into an underground criminal enterprise by using their ability to return to and from cuba to engage in illicit fraud activities particularly the report noted medicare fraud and transporting large sums of cash back to the island and evading arrest from the cuban regime as that they will not exit ip switches. they have turned her open door policy into a revo

when folks talk about cuba they sometimes confuse the regime with cuba. no. this is cuba. in front of us today. they who have spent years in prison. 17 years in prison. ask him about the conditions of the prisons. ask others about how well the cuban people are treated. just go to the you tube and look at her videos to find out how respected and how well the cuban people who dared just speak out for freedom are treated. ask about what happens when you just walk peacefully with a flower in your hand going to church and asking for freedom of their relatives. ask her how the cuban people are treated. so at a time when during the state of the union our president spoke about cuba -- and by the way, for the first time in my recollection did i see a president speak in the state of the union about cuba and not even mention -- not even mention human rights. not even mention democracy. not even mention -- not even give lip service to elections in cuba. i am grateful to you, mr. chairman, for bringing these heroes the future leaders -- them and others, the future leaders of cuba, to t

leave cuba. i have not heard in the past 10 years and he cuba. they all want -- that feels love for cuba. they all want to leave. you do not see one single person who gets off of an airplane whose as i want to go back to cuba because i want to liberate cuba. their want to come to the united states because they want to send money back to my family. they are acting not as political refugees who want to change the government, they are acting as immigrants. that is the most terrible thing happening in cuba because the cuban people have lost loved for the island. especially the young people. >> briefly, if you could address that point. why should we have let the embargo work? >> that has never been my point. my point is that the embargo should be used to condition real change in cuba. nobody is defending -- first of all, we keep saying embargo that is not the same thing as 1960. the ideal that nothing has been done in cuba and all of this time -- idea that nothing has been done in cuba in all of that

all of them have treated with cuba. -- traded with cuba. that has not changed the oppressive regime in cuba. what the president is doing is changing from a policy that many people think has not worked to a policy that we know has not worked and that is my answer. >> why do most cuban-americans of your younger generation believe that it is time to engage the islanders? >> we have lived under this policy our entire lives and have yet to see it yield any sort of result whatsoever. sorry. we have seen that for as long as i have been around, almost as long as i have been around our policy towards cuba has been dictated by south florida politics, not by the sober assessment of the right approach to that country or what is in the best interests of the united states. i have seen that process, i grew up in a household where my parents were staunchly in favor of the embargo and believed that trying to choke the economy was going to be the best way to bring about change and i grew up believing the same. it was not until i had an opportunity to visit i

and cuba. and i think that that many times is the ways in which societies become more open and accountable and democratic. and trade and cultural exchange becomes mutually beneficial. i think the embargo has impeded u.s. relations throughout the western hemisphere. as many latin american nations view the embargo itself as a human rights violation against the cuban people. i have to say that as a u.s. citizen, i definitely consider it my human right to be able to travel to any nation on earth. and i presented the fact that it has been difficult. i mean, americans can go to cuba and i've been to cuba but it's a very, very difficult to go there. i don't believe, and i might be wrong but i don't believe that we have that restriction against any other nation in the world, including iran, north korea and saudi arabia, all of which have extremely troubling human rights records. such travel restrictions as well as those of trade also violate the freedom of you citizens in recent polling by cbs abc news