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EXCLUSIVE: As President Donald Trump directs a uncommon U.S. protection posture towards Latin America – with a navy strike within the Caribbean towards alleged drug-smuggling gang members and a bounty on the pinnacle of a Central American strongman chief – the nation’s solely Cuban-born lawmaker known as Tuesday for brand new consideration to Havana as nicely.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who fled dictator Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1960 as a younger boy, known as on the Division of Homeland Safety to behave upon or as a minimum examine a listing of dozens of individuals his workplace and/or human rights organizations had recognized as tied to the present regime of Miguel Diaz-Canel or the deceased Castro brothers.
Gimenez, who additionally represents the congressional district closest to Cuba – in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties – warned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem of the “presence of brokers of the murderous Castro regime and the Communist Get together of Cuba at the moment residing in the USA.”
A spokesperson for DHS indicated Tuesday that the division was trying into the matter.
TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel smokes a cigar throughout a humidor public sale held as a part of the closing ceremony of the XXV Habanos Competition in Havana, on Feb. 28, 2025. (Yamil Lage/Getty Photos)
The letter provides to a drumbeat of stress on the administration to broaden its crackdown past Venezuela to Cuba — a regime Gimenez and others argue is on its “final breath.”
Earlier this 12 months, the Cuban-born lawmaker informed Fox Enterprise that the U.S. ought to “freeze the regime’s financial oxygen” and predicted, “The Castro regime is on the sting, and President Trump ought to kick them over the sting.”
The letter listed individuals Gimenez mentioned are within the U.S. underneath humanitarian packages, whom pro-democracy teams hyperlink to Diaz-Canel’s communist regime and accuse of “perpetrating numerous human rights abuses.”
Extra broadly, the Trump administration has taken swift motion towards Latin American threats, together with an airtstrike on a skiff that was carrying suspected gang-member-terrorists reportedly trafficking medication.
The feds thought of the strike in self-defense of the homeland, however critics in Congress expressed issues over its alignment with the Warfare Powers Act.
The transfer marked probably the most muscular U.S. navy actions within the hemisphere in years and adopted the administration’s choice to position a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head.
Trump beforehand named Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles as Overseas Terrorist Organizations, which supplies the federal government broader leeway in techniques used to fight such threats.
Three warships have been deployed to the Caribbean Sea close to Venezuela in one other instance of the Trump administration’s rising concern over regional threats in America’s hemisphere.
Secretary of Warfare Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine touched down in Puerto Rico on Monday to bolster navy operations there.
Met by Puerto Rico Republican Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon and First Gentleman Jose Yovin Vargas, they thanked the administration for recognizing the island protectorate’s “strategic significance to our nationwide safety” – as Hegseth additionally indicated to troops within the area their deployment wasn’t for coaching functions.
RUBIO PROMISES MORE STRIKES ON VENEZUELAN CARTELS: ‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO SIT BACK ANYMORE’
Anti-government protesters collect on the Maximo Gomez monument in Havana, Cuba. Tons of of demonstrators took to the streets in a number of cities in Cuba to protest towards ongoing meals shortages and excessive costs of foodstuffs. (AP Picture/Eliana Aponte)
Collectively, the steps counsel a renewed concentrate on countering the area’s cartels, dictatorships, and migration pressures after years of U.S. consideration centered on the Center East and Asia. That backdrop has emboldened Cuban-American lawmakers and activists to name for parallel motion towards Havana.
Of the names in Gimenez’ letter, a number of are labeled as tied to or members of Brigadas de Accion Rapida – or Speedy Response Brigade. That group is made up of designated residents who basically patrol for dissidents.
The letter adopted an identical missive in March that first dropped at gentle the potential that quite a few Cuban brokers reside underneath the radar within the U.S.
“It’s essential that the Division of Homeland Safety implement present U.S. legal guidelines to determine, deport, and repatriate these people who pose a menace to our nationwide safety,” Gimenez wrote within the letter.
In his unique letter, Gimenez warned most of the people “gamed” the immigration system and due to this fact are a “direct insult” to official Cuban exiles who fled to Florida and past looking for the non-public freedoms their households as soon as loved on the island.
Gimenez spoke completely to Fox Information Digital earlier this 12 months when he joined a congressional delegation to Guantanamo Bay’s U.S. navy set up.
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He mentioned he was overcome with emotion upon returning to his homeland for the primary time in 64 years, noting it was bittersweet in that he couldn’t really go to Cuba-proper.
The Miami lawmaker requested Noem to supply a report by September 26 detailing whether or not DHS has investigated the listed names, pursued deportation or elimination proceedings, and, if not, why no motion was taken.
Fox Information Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
