{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-condemns-the-unjust-imprisonment-of-alan-gross-on-the-fourth", "Diaz-Balart Condemns the Unjust Imprisonment of Alan Gross on the Fourth Anniversary of His Imprisonment", "2013-12-03", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Mario Diaz-Balart", "D000600", "mariodiazbalart.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON D.C. \u2013 Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement on the 4th anniversary of American humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross\u2019 imprisonment by the Cuban regime:\n\u201cToday marks four years since U.S. humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross was arrested and imprisoned for the \u2018crime\u2019 of helping Cuba\u2019s small Jewish community access the internet.\u00a0 Mr. Gross\u2019 unjust imprisonment and draconian 15-year sentence is a grim reminder that the most innocuous, and even noble acts, are crimes in totalitarian Cuba.\n\u201cThe brutal and malicious nature of the Castro dictatorship has not changed.\u00a0 It ruthlessly oppresses its own people, aids terrorist states and organizations, channels arms to other rogue anti-American regimes, and opposes U.S. interests at every opportunity. \u00a0\n\u201cUnfortunately, the Obama Administration continues\u00a0to reward unilateral concessions to the Castro dictatorship in the form of weakened sanctions, migration and mail \u2018talks,\u2019 and U.S. visas and special travel privileges to high-level Castro operatives. \u00a0Since the beginning of the Obama Administration, the Castro dictatorship has imprisoned Alan Gross, increased its brutal oppression against pro-democracy activists leading to the deaths of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Laura Pollan, Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, Harold Cepero, and Oswaldo Paya, had two Cuban spies in the State Department\u00a0convicted in U.S. federal court, and was caught red-handed transferring military weapons to North Korea.\u00a0 The Obama Administration\u2019s embarrassing attempts to appease the Castro dictatorship have been an utter failure which have\u00a0damaged U.S. interests and channeled millions of dollars to the Cuban people\u2019s oppressors.\n\u201cThe Obama Administration should focus on securing Alan Gross\u2019 freedom and helping the Cuban people realize their democratic aspirations. It\u00a0cannot effectively do so\u00a0while\u00a0excusing, legitimizing, and\u00a0abetting\u00a0their jailers. It\u2019s clear that President Obama\u2019s policy of appeasement and unilateral sanctions has done nothing but embolden the Castros\u2019 terrorist regime.\u201d\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-condemns-the-unjust-imprisonment-of-alan-gross-on-the-fourth"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8939611725509167, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}