Interviewed by James DeChene

Representative Joseph E. Miro has represented the 22nd Rep District in the Pike Creek Valley since 1998. A former teacher, Mr. Miro serves on the House Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, Health & Human Development Committee and Joint Finance Committee.

After nearly five decades of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba following the Bay of Pigs invasion, President Obama and Raul Castro met at the Summit of the Americas in Panama last spring with plans to rebuild diplomatic relations.
Fast-forward a few months later to August 14, a date that marks the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Cuba, the travel ban has been officially lifted. Now Americans wishing to travel to Cuba will no longer require prior congressional approval. However, the trade embargo as a whole is still in effect, with the exception of a few items.

James DeChene and Delaware Business magazine had the opportunity to sit down with Rep. Joseph Miro to ask him about his thoughts on recent events as a Cuban immigrant.

James DeChene (JD): Being a Peter Pan child has had a defining influence on your life. Can you share some background on your experience coming to the US from Cuba?

Joe Miro (JM): As a result of the Bay of Pigs invasion, President Kennedy established by executive order a program called Pedro Pan or Peter Pan. It allowed families, who had children under the age of 16, to send their children to the US under the care of organizations like Catholic Charities. These organizations took in 14,342 Cuban children from late 1961 to about 1963.

In my case, I came here by myself, I am an only child. I was 13 ½, my dad had passed away and my mother and grandmother decided to send me to this country. I arrived in Florida at a camp called Camp Matecumbe. Only boys were housed there. I was there from March 29 through July of 1962. One day I was called to the camp office and told “Your time of relocation has come and you have a choice.” The choice was Albuquerque, NM or Wilmington, DE. I saw on the map behind the camp officer the word “Philadelphia,” I very quickly said, “I go here.” Well, it wasn’t Philadelphia, it was Wilmington. I knew Philadelphia from reading about the history of the US and of course, the Phillies. The Phillies had a AAA team in Cuba; I followed baseball as a kid. I came to Philadelphia then I was out to Wilmington in about three hours. I went to school at Salesianum for the first year and lived in a house on Broom Street with 21 other boys. I was there for a year and three months until my mother and grandmother came to this country.

JD: How difficult was it for your mother and grandmother to emigrate from Cuba?

JM: They were scheduled to leave early on October 23, 1962. The night before Kennedy declared the blockade of Cuba due to the missile issue. Their visa was cancelled and they did not have the opportunity to leave until May of 1963. The prisoners of the Bay of Pigs were being exchanged for boats full of medicine and supplies. My mother and grandmother came on the last boat, landing in Miami. They were sponsored by the Christ Our King Church. It was the best thing that could have happened to my family.

“There is a book called Waiting for Snow in Havana. It is the story of Pedro Pan. It could be translated into my story.” – Representative Joseph E. Miro

JD: What are your thoughts on opening trade relations with Cuba? What about the concerns with human rights violations?

JM: The embargo really served no purpose but to damage relations with the US. The people were the ones that were suffering, not the government. Every other country in Europe and throughout the world has some type of relationship with Cuba. I have visited Cuba twice and quite frankly, what you see there are the investments from the Italians, Germans, Canadians, and Spanish. The hotel chains and businesses that are operating are specifically in areas with tourism. The US companies have not been at the table, creating a disadvantage for Americans and American companies to really invest, prosper and do business with Cuba. I’m glad to see that the embargo is coming to an end.

Should there have been some type of prerequisite for human rights? I think that is something that should have been done because it’s a country where if you oppose the government, you’re going to end up in jail. There is no free election, there are no elections, period. Certainly I think that there should be some ties. By the way, we have significant trade with China, which has many human rights issues.

JD: Should there be a political change in Cuba before having trade relations take place?

I went to Cuba in 2007 under Governor Minner’s Administration to investigate possible trade opportunities. Even when the embargo was enforced, there were certain products that you could trade with Cuba; primarily agricultural products. As a result, we did sell some things to Cuba, however, it was very difficult to transact business.
On a personal level, I felt safe and moved freely. At least we thought we moved freely, maybe we were followed. We did not detect that. I returned three years ago with my entire family. I saw somewhat of a change from 2007. People had better clothing, a little more food and a few more businesses were opened by Cubans themselves in an attempt to bring tourism to those hotels and restaurants. Many of the old buildings had been retrofitted. However is was clear that we were not in a democracy by any means, we were a long way away from it. The government had a little more of a loose grip on the people.

JD: Recently Castro has said he felt the US owes Cuba reparations for the lost revenue due to the embargo. Do you see any sort of merit in this charge?

JM: Well there’s an easy answer. I think the government of Cuba needs to pay reparations for the American companies that they confiscated in 1959 – 1960. If we are going to talk about paying money, I think it is the Cuban government that has to pay the American companies for all the properties they took over.

JD: From your viewpoint, do you think the embargo has created a market for Delaware companies?

JM: I have been working with Secretary of State Jeff Bullock and with Rebecca Faber at the World Trade Center, to do a trade mission to Cuba. It will happen, if not this year then early the following year.

JD: Going forward without an embargo, do you see Delaware companies engaging in trade opportunities with Cuba?

Absolutely, there are many companies that see it as an opportunity. There is significant need for paint, glass, wood, construction material, as well as medicine. Agriculture is more secondary. They have been bringing pregnant cows in from Argentina and other South American countries to revitalize that industry. There is a great need for cars, auto parts, you name it. Quite frankly, the country is in bad shape; there is a lot of poverty. The question is: Does the Cuban government have money to pay for this? Their big export market is cigars and rum. Tourism is their real jewel. Companies that do business with Cuba will need assurance that they are going to get paid.
The Port of Wilmington should play a big role just based on our East Coast location alone. The real beneficiaries, of course, are the ports in Florida, New Orleans and Texas. That said, the Port of Wilmington has an opportunity here to expand trade opportunities with Cuba.

JD: Delaware is not Miami. As a Cuban American, why does your viewpoint differ on the embargo?
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JM: I think you have a generational issue here, as well as a geographical issue. I’m a first generation immigrant. I came here very young and grew up in a different part of the country. I was educated in a different environment from the Cubans in Miami. It is a good thing for our American companies. I think in terms of the economy, opening doors and trying to get more business into an economy that needs it. It will help small business people, who in my opinion, are the backbone of the economy in Delaware. We need to help the small business people grow. If we open trade with Cuba, they will benefit the most.

By Meg Campbell
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Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock recently met with executives from the Bank of China to discuss ways that companies from China and Delaware can work together.

Secretary Bullock and team members from Global Delaware, the State’s initiative for promoting Delaware abroad, talked to bank executives and Chinese entrepreneurs about opportunities for collaboration, from a distributor looking for food safety products to sell in China to a manufacturer seeking advanced training opportunities in the U.S.

“There are so many opportunities for both sides,” Bullock noted. “Delaware companies can leverage their industry expertise by partnering with Chinese investors; they can develop distribution networks to sell their products and services in China; they can meet with Chinese companies looking to come to the U.S. and need distribution and support here. Forging a special relationship with the Bank of China makes so many options possible.”

Over the last several months, Global Delaware has developed a strong working relationship with the Bank of China, one of the country’s largest and most important banks. As a result of these efforts, the State has been selected to showcase Delaware businesses at the Sino-US SME Forum in New York City on September 28, 2015. This is the first event of its kind in the U.S., and Delaware is one of only a few states invited to participate.

The forum is an opportunity for Delaware companies to explore how to grow their business through collaboration with Chinese trading and/investment partners who are clients of the Bank of China. Chinese investment into the U.S. totaled nearly $50 billion in 2014 and could reach $200 billion by the end of the decade.

More than 40 Chinese business partners and investors will be at the event and available to meet with Delaware companies. After initial pre-qualification discussions, the Bank of China will set up one-on-one partnering meetings. Professional translation services and free consulting will be provided. There is no cost to participate for qualifying companies from Delaware.

“This event is a tremendous opportunity for Delaware companies and organizations of all kinds, from traditional manufacturers and service companies to entrepreneurs, nonprofits and educational institutions,” explained Secretary Bullock, noting that the Bank of China has already had great success with these events in Europe. “New York City is so close. We are so pleased that Bank of China has invited our businesses to be included in this important event.”

Global Delaware plans to charter a bus and escort the group up to NYC for this event, and lunch and dinner will be included.

Interested companies should contact a Global Delaware team member at [email protected] as soon as possible, as spaces will fill quickly.

By James DeChene

15 Delaware companies recently signed onto a coalition letter urging Congress to pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. TPA is vital because economic growth and job creation at home depend on our ability sell American goods and services to the 95% of the world’s customers living outside the U.S.

Many Americans are already seizing these opportunities. Nationally, one in four manufacturing jobs depends on exports, and one in three acres on American farms is planted for consumers overseas.

Here in Delaware trade plays a big role in our economy. Trade supports more than 120,000 jobs in the state, and our state’s exports of goods and services last year reached $8.5 billion. The letter’s details can be found here.

The Delaware companies listed were:

• ACE Group
• DuPont
• Gap Inc.
• Impact Colors Inc.
• Kraft Foods Group, Inc.
• LabWare, Inc.
• Siemens Corporation
• Solvay
• Telgian Corporation
• The Coca-Cola Company
• The Dow Chemical Company
• The Michaels Stores, Inc.
• The Procter and Gamble Company
• UPS
• Xerox Corporation