Mel Martinez

Mel Martinez’s life changed forever when Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba. As the oppressive regime started targeting schools, religion, and all those who dared to speak out, Mel’s parents knew there was no future for him under communism. They made the impossible decision to send Mel to America, one of the more than 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children saved between 1960 and 1962 in Operation Pedro Pan. Mel Martinez would go on to achieve the American dream, serving as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and representing Florida in the U.S. Senate, but he has never stopped fighting for freedom in Cuba.

Witness his story.