American politicians demand answers from President Joe Biden for allowing a delegation from the Cuban regime to visit the control facilities at Miami International Airport (MIA).
Five representatives of the Republican Party, including four Cuban-Americans, sent a letter to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, warning about the serious threat posed to national security by Cuban officials traveling through sensitive areas of MIA.
The members of the United States Congress Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Carlos Giménez, along with Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all from Florida, expressed their deep concern and outrage regarding the invitation and tour of the airport terminal by regime operatives.
"It has been reported that these agents accessed secure areas and were able to view confidential airport security protocols," the letter says, which was also sent to Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske.
"We hope that you take this incident as seriously as we do, and we ask both of you for a full explanation of how this incident could have happened," the document states.
Díaz-Balart pointed out that they need immediate answers about who authorized this visit and why they did so. "Protecting our national security and that of the American people should be our top priority," he expressed on Twitter.
The signatories of the letter demand that the administration respond by May 24 to several questions, such as which areas of the airport the Cuban officials visited, what visas were granted to them, and in which airports in the United States representatives from Cuba or other countries designated by the Department of State as sponsors of terrorism have been.
"Under what authority did the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security invite members of the Cuban Communist Party to sensitive areas of MIA?" is another question.
"What security protocols does the TSA apply to foreign visitors at airports in the United States?", "What is the process for authorizing guided tours by the TSA?", "Did the TSA follow that process in this case?" and "What is the current contact for the LDP (Last Departure Airport) at MIA and when were they informed of the visit?", conclude the questionnaire.
Marco Rubio stressed that no member of the Cuban regime should be allowed entry into the United States, "much less that the Biden administration lets them visit the Miami International Airport."
The Biden administration justified this week the controversial visit of Cuban officials to MIA, indicating that it was an exchange between professionals to promote civil aviation security in both countries.
According to an official from the State Department who spoke to Martí Noticias, the TSA works closely with its Cuban counterparts in this specific area.
"This implies that the TSA will inspect Cuban airports to certify their ability to accommodate flights to the United States and occasional reciprocal visits from the Cuban Ministry of Transportation to U.S. airports to discuss best practices," detailed in an email.
The visit took place a few days after the Biden administration removed Cuba from a list of countries that "do not fully cooperate" with counterterrorism efforts (although it remains on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism).
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: