Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (born Ileana Ros y Adato on July 15, 1952, in Havana, Cuba) is an American former politician and lobbyist who made history as the first Cuban American and first Hispanic woman elected to the U.S. Congress. A childhood refugee from Cuba, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1960 at the age of seven, settling in Miami, Florida, fleeing Fidel Castro's regime. Born to Enrique Ros, a prominent anti-Castro activist and businessman, and Amanda Adato, she grew up in a politically active household. Before Congress, she served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 1986 and the Florida Senate from 1986 to 1989, where she advocated for education and Cuban exile issues. She began her career as a high school teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, teaching American history, government, and civics before entering politics. In 1989, she won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 18th congressional district (later redistricted to the 27th), serving as a Republican U.S. Representative from Florida until 2019, becoming the longest-serving U.S. Representative from Florida by the end of her tenure.

Over her 30-year congressional career, Ros-Lehtinen became the most senior Republican woman in Congress and chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 2011 to 2013, as well as its subcommittees, becoming a key figure in foreign affairs. A staunch Republican known for her hawkish foreign policy and strong pro-Israel stance, she was a vocal critic of the Castro regime and a strong advocate for human rights, democracy promotion, U.S. interests abroad, democratic movements in Latin America, and counterterrorism measures. Her legislative record emphasized foreign policy, including support for the Helms-Burton Act tightening sanctions on Cuba, strong support for the U.S. embargo on Cuba, aid to Israel, opposition to normalization of relations with the Cuban government, and opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, reflecting her advocacy for Iran sanctions. She delivered the first Republican response to the State of the Union address in Spanish in 2011 and again in 2014. Ros-Lehtinen announced in 2017 that she would not seek re-election in 2018, retiring after advocating for issues like human rights, trade, and counterterrorism.

Post-Congress, she has worked as a lobbyist, joining The Cohen Group as a senior policy advisor and leveraging her extensive network in Washington, D.C., and Miami, as well as her expertise in international relations. Her career reflects the influence of Cuban-American politics in South Florida, where she championed refugee rights, education, and anti-communist policies. She has been recognized for her trailblazing role in empowering Hispanic women in politics and her unwavering commitment to freedom for Cuba. Throughout her career, she has been a key figure in Cuban-American politics, endorsing figures like Marco Rubio and maintaining close ties to defense and foreign policy networks. Her work has focused on countering communist influences in the Americas and promoting free trade.

Ros-Lehtinen's personal life reflects her Cuban roots and American assimilation. Married to attorney Dexter Lehtinen, a former U.S. Attorney, since 1985, she has three children: daughters Katherine and Amanda, and son Patrick. Her ethnicity as a Cuban-American has shaped her political motivations, focusing on immigration reform, anti-communism, and U.S.-Latin America relations. While her career has been largely free of major scandals, she has faced criticism from some quarters for her strong pro-Israel stance, opposition to the Obama administration's Cuba thaw, opposition to the Affordable Care Act, her defense industry ties, and her visits to Haiti post-2010 earthquake, where she was accused by some of prioritizing U.S. interests over local needs. She has also faced allegations of undue influence from lobbying clients, though no formal investigations have been documented. Nonetheless, she remains a respected figure in Republican and exile communities.