Alan Gross—the Potomac contractor who was released from a Cuban prison last month as part of a deal negotiated by President Barack Obama—will be among the guests of honor at the State of the Union address tonight.
Gross will be joined by his wife, Judy, in seats near first lady Michelle Obama.
Gross, 65, was released last month by Cuba after spending five years in prison on espionage charges. He was accused by the Cuban government of bringing satellite communications into the country while working as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Obama secured Gross’s release and that of 53 political prisoners being held in the Caribbean country as part of a larger effort to begin normalizing relations with Cuba.
On the day Obama announced his plan to change the country’s diplomatic course with Cuba, he sent Air Force One to bring Gross home. Upon his return, Gross was greeted by his wife, who throughout his imprisonment kept his spirits up through phone calls and visits to the Cuban prison.
Back on American soil, Gross said in a press conference, “It’s good to be home.”
Alan and Judy Gross will be among 22 guests of honor at tonight’s speech, which Obama plans to focus on income inequality. Other guests include an astronaut, a Los Angeles police commander and a doctor deployed to Central Africa to treat Ebola patients.
