Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: 1952—: U.S. Congressional Representative Biography

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: 1952—: U.S. Congressional representative.

The first Cuban American and the first Hispanic woman elected to the United States Congress, Ileana RosLehtinen has become, in the words of the Boston Globe, "a living symbol of Cuban-American achievement." RosLehtinen is a staunch conservative and an implacable foe of the communist regime of Cuba's Fidel Castro, but she has diverged from the usual positions of the Republican Party to which she belongs on issues relating to the treatment of immigrants. An outspoken woman often in the headlines for her sharp advocacy of positions she believes in, Ros-Lehtinen is a fixture of south Florida's colorful political scene.