interest peek at the latin american studies association. she applied for that the set. we applied for visas to go to havana to work with their own section. we felt it was inappropriate to allow her to come into this country and work with the intersection here. we recognize that we want to be able to meet with and talk to the widest range of people in cuba that we possibly can. the cuban government does not always allow it. >> are you suggesting that she is not a communist party official? >> i'm not suggesting that she may not be a member. as the proclamation was interpreted in narrowed in 1999, she was not a senior party official. >> the united states denies the visas to all types of people all across the world. it has broad jurisdiction in doing so. you exercised your discretion in giving a visa to these individuals who are part of a repressive system. you had the authority to say no. you talk about reciprocity. that reciprocity is not observed inside cuba. they are restricted. they are restricted in their access. what we're doing is giving a one-way street and sending

most recently the approval of the visas for the cuban dictator to attend the latin american studies association conference. i do not understand when the castro regime holds an american hostage for over two and a half years and when we have as described the highest monthly number of documented arrests in five decades that we permit that our messaging is that we permit castro to be parading around the united states on a tour largely declaring herself a vigil in the high don't know what of. the reality is i want to know under what authority the castro and other party officials were issued visas to enter the united states. the department exercised its waiver authority to issue these visas come and hal do you justify giving the visa when you have an incredible recession languishing for two and a half years in castro for nothing more than helping the jewish community tree to be able to communicate with each other. >> thank you mr. chairman. i want to start by saying that no one has been certainly more outraged at the detention as continued detention we will continue to do everything that we can to se

of visas for daughter of cuban dictator, castel mattia and her friends to attend the latin american studies association. i do not understand when the caster shame holds an american hostage for over two and a half years and when we have best described as the highest monthly number of documented arrests in five decades that we permit that are messaging is the permit mariella castro to be parading the united -- around the united states on a publicity tour darcy declared herself a citizen. the reality is i want to know under what authority that ms. castro and other communist party officials were issued visas to enter the united states. the department exercise its waiver authority under executive order 53772 cdc says. and how do you justify giving those pieces when you have this incredible repression and that is cuban and american is languishing for two and half years in castro's shows for nothing are than helping the jewish community in havana try to communicate with each other? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to start off by saying no one has been certainly more outraged at alan grossman's attention an

able to do so despite might not agree at all with the statements and to speak as the latin american studies associationin the case she had originally applied for that visa to do work with the intersection here in washington. we obviously apply for them to go to havana to work with our own intersection, and we felt that it was appropriate to allow her to come in to this country and work with the intersection here under that principal of reciprocity recognizing that we want to be able to meet with and talk to a wide range of people in cuba that we possibly can and recognize the cuban government doesn't always allow us that. >> but the reality is our you suggesting that castro is not a communist party official clacks estimate i'm not suggesting that she may not be a member of the communist party, but as the proclamation was interpreted and narrow in 1999, she was not a senior party official. >> the united states denies visas to all types of people all across the world today has broad jurisdiction in doing so. you exercise your discretion in giving a visa to these individuals whose american languishing in