Cuban-American lobby

The Cuban-American lobby describes those various groups of Cuban exiles in the United States and their descendants who have historically influenced the United States' policy toward Cuba. In general usage this refers to anti-Castro groups.

Organizations

• Center for a Free Cuba
• Cuba Democracy Caucus
• Cuban American National Foundation
• Cuban Liberty Council
• US-Cuba Democracy PAC

Cuban Americans in the United States Congress

Six Cuban Americans currently serve in the United States Congress.

Two United States Senators:

• Marco Rubio, Republican, Florida
• Bob Menendez, Democrat, New Jersey

Four are United States Representatives:

• Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican, Florida's 21st congressional district
• David Rivera, Republican, Florida's 25th congressional district
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican, Florida's 18th congressional district
• Albio Sires, Democrat, New Jersey's 13th congressional district

Cubans in public service with United States federal government

• Eduardo Aguirre, former United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra [1]
• Ana Carbonell, Chief of Staff for Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart
• Adolfo A. Franco, former Assistant Administrator for United States Agency for International Development Latin America and the Caribbean [2] (U.S. Agency for International Development)
• Emilio González, former United States Army colonel and former director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. [3]
• Carlos Gutierrez, former Kellogg CEO and former United States Secretary of Commerce [4]
• Nilda Pedrosa, Chief of Staff for Representative Mario Diaz-Balart and former Senior Policy Director for Senator Mel Martinez

Other politically active Cuban Americans

• Mauricio Claver-Carone, Washington Director of the Cuba Democracy PAC
• Gus Machado, Treasurer of the Cuba Democracy PAC
• Remedio Diaz Oliver
• Otto Reich, former senior official in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. He held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and US Special Envoy to the Western Hemisphere for the Secretary of State in the Bush administration.
• Armando F. Valladares, former Cuban prisoner for twenty-two years, American ambassador to the Human Rights Commission of the UN in Geneva during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and author of the book-testimonial Contra toda esperanza (Against All Hope) about his life in Cuban jails.

Politically active Cuban authors and academics

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Frank Calzón, Executive Director of Center for a Free Cuba [5].
• Antonio de la Cova, academic [6]
• Carlos Eire, T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University and author of Waiting for Snow in Havana
• Andy García author, actor, producer, director
• Rafael Román Martel poet, journalist
• Ricardo Pau-Llosa, poet and pioneering critic and curator of modern Latin American art
• Enrique Ros, prolific author on historical topics

Spanish Media

• Ninoska Pérez Castellón, prominent Cuban radio and television talk show host
• Tomas Garcia Fuste, prominent Cuban radio and television talk show host

See also

• Cuban American
• Cuba-United States relations
• Diaspora politics in the United States
• Ethnic interest groups in the United States
• Lobbying in the United States
• Opposition to Fidel Castro
• Foreign policy interest group

External links

• Anti-Castro Politicians Frozen Out as U.S. Eases Island's Isolation by Daniel Dombey, Financial Times, June 3, 2009