Colorado congressman who called Miami 'Third World' cancels appearance here

U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo, who last month likened parts of South Florida to "a Third World country," has canceled a speaking engagement off Miami after his hosts cited a violent threat and asked him not to come, the lawmaker's office said Wednesday.

"I'm obviously disappointed that a radical element in Miami was able to intimidate the hosts into rescinding their invitation for me to speak," Tancredo said in a statement.

The Miami Rotary Club had invited Tancredo to the waterfront Rusty Pelican restaurant in Virginia Key, where he was to give the speech Renewing America: The Need for Assimilation.

Tancredo, R-Colo., has called for severe limits on immigration to the United States.

He angered many in the Miami area last month when he implied the city had been harmed by absorbing too many immigrants. Tancredo pointed to crime, low high school graduation rates and a resistance to English.

Carlos Espinosa, a spokesman for Tancredo, said the Rusty Pelican's corporate office told the lawmaker Wednesday morning that it could not host the luncheon, citing at least one telephone threat. The lawmaker's team then tried to find another restaurant.

"We called about a dozen, but they either didn't have the capacity or they didn't want to deal with the same threats the Rusty Pelican received," Espinosa said.

In canceling his trip, Tancredo also referred to censorship in communist Cuba -- an apparent swipe at South Florida's Cuban-American community.

"I knew speaking your mind could be dangerous in Havana," he said. "I guess it's equally dangerous to do so in Miami."

Rusty Pelican manager Randy Palmer said in a statement that the restaurant and the Rotary Club agreed to cancel the appearance.

"We are not trying to make political statements," he said. "But during this busy holiday season we have a great deal of concern for the safety of our guests and employees.

We've decided it's in everybody's best interest for Congressman Tancredo not to speak at the Miami Rotary Club."

Miami police said they were investigating a report that someone made a threatening call to The Miami Herald on Wednesday about Tancredo's visit, but they were unaware of any threatening calls to the restaurant.

Click here to read the original story by Ruth Morris of the Sun-Sentinel.com