NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two Cuban American congressmen representing Florida made a series of demands for change in Cuba at a local news conference, as they reiterated calls for the U.S. government to put pressure on the island nation’s government in light of recent changes in Venezuela.
U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez did not mince words as they addressed reporters at the Cuban Democratic Directorate in Northwest Miami-Dade, late Thursday morning.
“We must embark on that journey as quickly as possible, so that one day soon, in the very near future, we can say we have a free and democratic Cuba,” said Gimenez. “A lot of of us will go back and help in the transition, and we can again convert that island into what it was.”
Local leaders and community leaders filled the small room as the Republican lawmakers laid out the steps they said are crucial to help pave the way for freedom in Cuba.
Diaz-Balart and Gimenez’s first demand is for Mexico to stop sending oil to Cuba. On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had temporarily stopped oil shipments to the island nation.
Gimenez says that move by Mexico should be permanent.
“Why are you sending billions of dollars in oil to Cuba as a gift when your own people need that money? She’s ideologically aligned with the regime,” said Gimenez.
Their second demand is asking the Trump administration to stop all flights to and from Cuba.
Their third demand is to stop remittances to Cuba, which they argue is a lifeline to the dictatorship.
The congressmen’s demands come as local municipalities like Hialeah and Miami have agreed to crack down on local businesses with ties to the regime, something that, the lawmakers said, needs to happen at a national level.
“That regime is a cancer, it’s a cancer, and the way that you cure cancer, sometimes the cure is painful, but at the end, the patient survives,” said Gimenez. “Yes, I know stopping flights can be painful some people, stopping remittances can be painful for some people, but the faster we do it, the faster this regime will collapse, and the faster we will have freedom for the people of Cuba, which is what we need.”
“The president of the United States, along with Secretary of State [Marco Rubio], are very clear that the threat to the national security interests of the United States regime that is the Castro regime — like the one in Venezuela, like the one in Nicaragua — is no longer acceptable and will no longer be tolerated,” said Diaz Balart.
The congressmen’s calls for change come days after President Donald Trump spoke about regime change on the island.
The commander in chief is also hoping pressure from the U.S. and the lack of oil from Venezuela will cause Cuba’s economy to collapse.
Meanwhile, tourism in Cuba is tanking at a time when the country desparately needs the revenue.
Heightening tensions between the U.S. and Cuba and cuts in power supply are among the factors drawing concern from visitors and impacting residents’ livelihoods.
Reymundo Aldama, who drives tourists in his classic car, said there are days where he doesn’t have any customers, and most of the time, the people are struggling.
Cuban business owners like Niubis Bueno said she had never experienced something as difficult as the current situation. She said the island’s only hope is freedom.
With data showing the numbers of visitors to Cuba dropping by nearly 70% since 2018 and a cut off of petroleum imports, many on the island are bracing for what experts warn could be a catastrophic economic crisis on the island.
Back in the States, Diaz-Balart said the time to act is now.
“I’m sure that the regime is getting the message that the only future and the only possibility in Havana is for freedom to return,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about Cuba while testifying to Congress about the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“I think we would like to see the regime there change. We would like to; that doesn’t mean that we’re gonna make a change, but we would love to see it change,” said Rubio.
During the press conference, Diaz-Balart and Gimenez were asked whether military operations were an option. They said that nothing is off the table.
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