In the latest episode of the official podcast Desde la Presidencia, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel spoke with the official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX), Johana Tablada de la Torre, and the coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, about the recent decision by the United States to keep Cuba on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
Under the title ‘Cuba is not a terrorist’—an old tactic of the regime to link the country with the government instead of its citizens— the program served as a platform for official propaganda in defense of the Cuban totalitarian system.
However, it was Hernández Nordelo, a former spy of the Red Avispa convicted in the U.S. for conspiracy to commit murder, who made one of the most controversial statements: "The story that Cubans leave Cuba in search of freedom is something even Marco Rubio doesn’t believe."
The statement is not only cynical but also profoundly insulting to the hundreds of thousands of Cubans who, in recent decades, have risked their lives by launching into the sea, crossing jungles, and facing mafias in order to escape the communist system.
Mass emigration of Cubans has been a constant since 1959, driven by political repression, a lack of individual freedoms, and the economic collapse caused by the regime itself.
The denial of reality by Hernández Nordelo is not surprising. As a senior representative of the CDR, a neighborhood surveillance and denunciation structure created by Fidel Castro to suppress any hint of dissent, his role is to perpetuate the official narrative and downplay the suffering of millions of Cubans.
Meanwhile, the data contradicts the "tale" he mentions. In just the past two years, over 850,000 Cubans have arrived in the United States, marking the largest exodus in Cuba's history.
About them, Johana Tablada herself, Deputy Director-General of the United States Department of MINREX, told Russia Today in October 2023: “The 200,000 that the U.S. thought would leave to overthrow the government... have emigrated”.
The vast majority do not flee for economic reasons, as the Castro propaganda attempts to suggest, but rather because in their country they cannot thrive without submitting to a system that nullifies individual rights, private initiative, and freedom of expression.
Denying that Cubans seek freedom when they emigrate is to ignore the systematic repression against independent journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens; it is to forget about political prisoners, gag laws, and the constant violations of human rights on the island.
If the Cuban exodus were not rooted in persecution and oppression, the regime would not need police barricades in front of foreign embassies or restrict internet access every time there is a protest.
Beyond Hernández Nordelo's propagandistic statements, the reality is clear: Cuba continues to lose its people because Castroism has turned the country into a prison without a future. And as long as the regime continues to deny the true reasons for emigration, the only "tale" here is the one they are trying to sell to Cubans and the world.
Marco Rubio's stance on the situation in Cuba and the search for Cubans
Hernández Nordelo's words mentioning Rubio are not incidental. The Cuban-American has been one of the most critical voices of the Cuban regime within U.S. politics, consistently denouncing the lack of freedoms and repression on the island.
Rubio has pointed out repeatedly that the Cuban exodus is not solely due to economic reasons, but also due to despair over the lack of human and political rights.
In response to the protests of July 11, 2021, the senator stated that “a new generation of Cubans is tired of living without freedom,” in reaction to the violent repression against peaceful protesters demanding change on the island.
The Secretary of State has been steadfast in his support for the Cuban dissidence. He has highlighted the bravery of groups such as the Ladies in White, who for years have been harassed and imprisoned for demanding the release of political prisoners.
Rubio has also emphasized that the Cuban dictatorship not only oppresses its people but also poses a threat to the security of the United States. In November 2024, the then-senator denounced that the Cuban government remains linked to illicit activities, including its complicity with authoritarian regimes and transnational criminal groups.
Furthermore, he has rejected the false narratives of Castroism regarding the U.S. embargo, pointing out that the main cause of Cuba's impoverishment is the poor management of the regime and its centralized economic model, not the sanctions from the U.S. In the past, Rubio warned that the death of Fidel Castro would not mean freedom for Cubans as long as the repressive system remains intact.
In several occasions, the Secretary of State has expressed his hope that the Cuban people will achieve democracy and respect for human rights. In a joint statement with Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar in May 2023, Rubio reaffirmed his commitment to the cause of Cuban freedom, expressing his desire that one day a free Cuba can be celebrated.
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