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From the headquarters of the Cuban Democratic Directorate in Miami, federal congressmen Carlos Giménez and Mario Díaz-Balart announced that they will formally request the government of President Donald Trump for the total suspension of flights to Cuba and the elimination of remittances to the island.
The statements were made at a press conference attended by members of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, exile organizations, elected local officials, and community activists.
Both lawmakers, representatives from southern Florida, justified the measures as part of a strategy to economically suffocate the Cuban regime, which they did not hesitate to label as "a cancer in our hemisphere."
Carlos Giménez announced that he will also ask the government of Mexico, led by Claudia Sheinbaum, to put an end to the shipment of oil to Cuba, in an attempt to halt one of the last channels of energy support that Havana receives.
The message from the congress members was clear: the United States - and particularly South Florida - can no longer be part of a system that financially supports the Cuban government while it continues to repress its people.
“No more flights, no more remittances, no more mechanisms that support the dictatorship”, was the rallying cry that defined the day.
María Elvira Salazar: "The hour of Cuba's freedom has arrived."
Although she was not present at the event, fellow congresswoman María Elvira Salazar expressed her explicit support through a post on the social media platform X, where she urged the Cuban exile community to take a strong stance against the regime and halt all forms of economic flow.
"The hour of freedom for Cuba has arrived. Today we have a President and a Secretary of State determined to cleanse our hemisphere of tyrants, drug traffickers, and dictators. But exile also carries a historical responsibility: to stop providing oxygen to the dictatorship," Salazar wrote.
The Republican congresswoman emphasized that everyday actions like sending remittances or visiting family ultimately contribute, even if indirectly, to the survival of the prevailing political system on the island.
"Because every dollar, every trip, and every gesture of false normality prolongs the life of a criminal regime and condemns the Cuban people to another 60 years of misery, repression, and slavery. This is the moment to stop everything: no more tourism, no more remittances, no more mechanisms that continue to finance and support the dictatorship," he stated.
Aware of the human dilemma that cutting off resources to an impoverished population entails, Salazar also reflected on the emotional consequences of such decisions.
"And yes, I understand: it is devastating to think of a mother’s hunger, of a child who needs immediate help. No one is indifferent to that pain. But that is precisely the brutal dilemma we face as exiles: to alleviate suffering in the short term or to free Cuba forever."
In that sense, he directly appealed to the historical sense of responsibility of the Cuban exile community, urging them not to continue being an unwitting source of funding for the same regime they escaped from.
"We cannot continue to be hostages of a regime that even from exile forces us to finance our own oppression. In the final hour of the regime, exile must choose: freedom," he concluded.
A twist in the strategy of exile
The announcement by the congress members is part of a new political alignment with the Trump administration, which has resumed its hardline rhetoric towards Havana.
Although the proposals have not yet been formally presented to the White House, congressmen assert that they have the support of other key figures in the Republican Party and influential groups from the Cuban exile community.
The organizations present, among them the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance and the Cuban Democratic Directorate, have been advocating for months for a stronger policy towards the Cuban regime.
The joint call reinforces the idea that there is a desire not only for an institutional response from Washington but also for the mobilization of the exile as a leading political actor.
The perennial dilemma: Family support vs political pressure
The proposal, however, is not without controversy. While part of the exile community supports strict measures to cut resources to the Cuban government, another part fears that these actions will directly impact families who rely on remittances and flights to survive or stay connected.
In her words, María Elvira Salazar acknowledged that moral dilemma but urged for a strategic decision: to stop acting based on temporary solutions and to invest in a definitive change.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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