Congressman Jim Costa | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Jim Costa | Official U.S. House headshot
FRESNO, Calif. - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), Co-Chair of the Portuguese American Caucus introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.Res.457, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches, a distinguished Portuguese diplomat who saved the lives of an estimated 30,000 people from the terror of the Holocaust.
"Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a Portuguese hero of World War II, having conducted the largest rescue by a single individual during the Holocaust,” said Costa. “He did the right thing and risk everything to save thousands of people from the Nazis. His heroism inspires us to confront the horrific crimes of genocide and stand up for the fundamental human rights that are the basis of the freedoms that we all deserve.”
Dr. Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches (July 18, 1885 – April 3, 1954) was the Portuguese consul stationed in Bordeaux, France during World War ll. Despite strict limitations on visa processing for refugees, Sousa Mendes issued an estimated 30,000 Portuguese visas to Jews and other vulnerable people fleeing Nazi persecution in 1940.
In 2017, the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, posthumously bestowed Portugal's highest honor, the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty, on Sousa Mendes. On October 19th, 2021, Sousa Mendes was laid to rest in the National Pantheon in Lisbon.
This resolution is co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives David Valadao (CA-22), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Scott Peters (CA-52), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), and Bill Keating (MA-09).
Issues: Foreign Affairs and National Security
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up