A resolution commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506).

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 168 Commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506). IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 20, 2023 Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. CRUZ, and Mr. SCOTT of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Re- lations RESOLUTION Commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs operation and remembering the members of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506). Whereas April 17, 2023, marks the 62nd anniversary of the first day of the Bay of Pigs operation, an event held dear in the hearts of many who long for the return of freedom, democracy, and justice to Cuba; Whereas the Communist dictatorship in Cuba that resulted from the January 1, 1959, revolution in Cuba has sys- tematically denied the Cuban people their most basic human rights and fundamental freedoms; Whereas, from 1959 until his death in 2016, dictator Fidel Castro, who promised to implement a revolution against tyranny, systematically violated the human rights of the VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Apr 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR168.IS SR168 LPerry on DSK4WB1RN3PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 168 IS Cuban people, curtailed freedom of the press, arbitrarily imprisoned and killed an untold number of members of the political opposition in Cuba, and confiscated the prop- erties of citizens of Cuba and the United States; Whereas Fidel Castro’s dictatorship supported terrorism by providing safe haven and logistics to terrorist groups and fugitives throughout the world; Whereas the men and women participating in the Bay of Pigs operation assumed the title of Brigada de Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), which was named after the serial number (2506) of Carlos Rodriguez Santana, a founding member of the brigade who died during training exercises in September 1960; Whereas Assault Brigade 2506 consisted of individuals, pri- marily Cuban exiles in the United States, from diverse backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, engineers, archi- tects, priests, cooks, musicians, actors, business owners, barbers, bankers, construction workers, office clerks, stu- dents, pilots, and many other individuals representing different sectors in Cuba; Whereas, on April 17, 1961, approximately 1,400 individuals selflessly volunteered to free the Cuban people from tyr- anny; Whereas, in the ensuing days, and in the course of a battle against the Cuban military, which was superior in man- power and firepower, more than 100 men lost their lives; Whereas the events of April 17 through April 20, 1961, ended with the capture and imprisonment of 1,204 mem- bers or more than 75 percent of Assault Brigade 2506; Whereas a large number of the 1,204 captured members of Assault Brigade 2506 were imprisoned in deplorable con- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 Apr 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR168.IS SR168 LPerry on DSK4WB1RN3PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 168 IS ditions for close to 18 months, subjected to harsh and in- humane treatment, and later sentenced without due proc- ess to 30 years of imprisonment; Whereas, in September 1961, the Cuban regime executed 5 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who had been cap- tured during the operation; Whereas 67 members of Assault Brigade 2506 died in com- bat, including 4 American pilots and 10 Cuban pilots and navigators, 10 members died while trying to flee Cuba on a fishing boat that drifted in the Gulf of Mexico for al- most 15 days, 10 members died while being transported to prison by their Cuban captors inside a sealed truck with limited oxygen, 9 members were executed by firing squads, and 3 members died while in prison due to lack of medical attention; Whereas one of the most heinous acts relating to the oper- ation was ordered by then Captain Osmany Cienfuegos, who forced nearly 100 male prisoners into a closed trailer in which they were transported for 8 hours with limited oxygen; Whereas the Cuban regime is a party to the Geneva Conven- tions of 1949, which require the humane treatment of prisoners of war; Whereas, in March 1962, as the trial of the captured fighters approached, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, asking that the provisions of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Pris- oners of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949, be fully applied, and for permission to visit the prisoners, but all the requests went unanswered; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 Apr 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR168.IS SR168 LPerry on DSK4WB1RN3PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 168 IS Whereas the 1,113 members of Assault Brigade 2506 who fi- nally returned to the United States after the operation have made significant and valuable contributions to the United States, while never forgetting their beloved home- land; Whereas, on December 29, 1962, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was presented with the banner of Assault Bri- gade 2506 that had reached the shores of Cuba during the operation, and the President pledged, ‘‘I can assure you that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana.’’; Whereas, on April 24, 1986, a joint resolution (Public Law 99–279; 100 Stat. 398) was approved ‘‘Commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion to liberate Cuba from Communist tyranny.’’; Whereas Cuba’s authoritarian regime continues to arbitrarily detain thousands of critics, activists, and opponents and continues to deny the people of Cuba the ability to vote in free, fair, multiparty elections with independent and opposition candidates; Whereas Cuba’s authoritarian regime has actively fostered and supported anti-democratic parties and actors throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the re- gimes of Nicaragua and Venezuela; Whereas Cuba is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the Department of State; and Whereas the Cuban people continue to struggle and demand respect for democratic values, civil liberties, freedom, and justice: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 Apr 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR168.IS SR168 LPerry on DSK4WB1RN3PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 168 IS (1) remembers all the veterans of Brigada de 1 Asalto 2506 (Assault Brigade 2506), both living and 2 deceased; 3 (2) honors the courageous veterans of Assault 4 Brigade 2506 who fought for freedom, including 5 those who suffered torture or perished in the strug- 6 gle for a democratic Cuba; 7 (3) calls on the Government of the United 8 States to continue to support policies that promote 9 the respect for democratic principles, civil liberties, 10 freedom, and justice in Cuba, in a manner consistent 11 with the aspirations of the Cuban people; 12 (4) recognizes that individual members of As- 13 sault Brigade 2506 later joined the United States 14 Armed Forces and fought in the Vietnam war; 15 (5) calls for the international community to 16 support and express solidarity with the Cuban peo- 17 ple in their demands for freedom against the Com- 18 munist regime; and 19 (6) recognizes that many veterans of the Bay of 20 Pigs operation settled across the United States to 21 become productive members of the society of the 22 United States, including public officials and industry 23 leaders. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:09 Apr 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR168.IS SR168 LPerry on DSK4WB1RN3PROD with BILLS