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Congress was notified that operatives from the Cuban regime’s Border Guard, and the dictatorship’s Ministry of Foreign Relation, will soon visit the United States to meet with the U.S. Coast Guard and to tour our facilities.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to President Joe Biden condemning his administration’s decision and demanding the meeting be canceled.
“Extending an invitation to Cuban intelligence operatives into sensitive national security facilities in order to share with them our nation’s coastal and maritime security protocols is an egregious dereliction of duty that betrays one of the most fundamental tenets of the oath you have sworn, to protect America from foreign enemies. You must cancel this visit immediately, and explain to the American people how this was allowed to happen on your watch.” – Senator Rubio
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. President:
I write with grave concern over the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and State’s plan to host a delegation from Cuba’s Border Guard and Ministry of Foreign Affairs at our Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and port facilities in Wilmington, North Carolina next week. Not only is the regime’s Border Guard subordinate to Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, which is on the list of Restricted Entities and Subentities Associated with Cuba, but there is also a high likelihood that the delegation will include members of Cuba’s intelligence agencies. This is reprehensible and sends a terrible message to Americans and the world. I demand that you immediately cancel this visit and provide a clear explanation for why you are sharing our nation’s security protocols with one of our nation’s oldest foreign adversaries.
In 2021, the U.S. State Department re-designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism for its broken commitments to cooperate with U.S. counter-terrorism efforts and continued support provided to the Maduro narco-regime in Venezuela, as well as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia. Both of these foreign terrorist organizations carry out attacks against civilians and engage in narcotics trafficking that bring cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs to our shores. It is unconscionable that you would allow security operatives from Cuba – a State Sponsor of Terrorism that actively cooperates with narcotics traffickers, China, Russia, and Iran – the opportunity to access sensitive national security installations and maritime security protocols.
Our ocean buffers and maritime domain are our nation’s greatest national security asset, separating America from most of our adversaries by thousands of miles. In the case of Cuba, however, Americans live just 90 miles from the shores of this vile communist dictatorship in league with foreign powers that seek to undermine our country. For Floridians, the U.S. Coast Guard is the first line of defense against the threats to our south.
Extending an invitation to Cuban intelligence operatives into sensitive national security facilities in order to share with them our nation’s coastal and maritime security protocols is an egregious dereliction of duty that betrays one of the most fundamental tenets of the oath you have sworn, to protect America from foreign enemies. You must cancel this visit immediately, and explain to the American people how this was allowed to happen on your watch.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,