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Just days before the 30th anniversary of the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, four Cuban-American congressmen urged President Donald Trump to promote criminal charges against Raúl Castro for his alleged responsibility in the attack that resulted in the deaths of four men in 1996.
In a letter dated February 13, 2026, legislators Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez, and Nicole Malliotakis requested that the Department of Justice consider formally charging the former Minister of the Armed Forces of Cuba for the downing of two civilian aircraft in international waters on February 24, 1996. They also suggested evaluating the issuance of an Interpol red notice against him.
On that day, Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, and Mario de la Peña, American citizens, along with Pablo Morales, a permanent resident in the United States, lost their lives. The four were involved in humanitarian missions to locate and assist Cuban rafters attempting to flee the island.
According to the letter, Raúl Castro —who was the Minister of Defense at the time— would have been part of the chain of command that ordered the action against the unarmed aircraft. The congressmen cite public information, including a recording released by The Miami Herald and journalistic references from that period, as elements pointing to his responsibility.
"February 24 will mark thirty years since the brutal downing of two unarmed civilian aircraft in international waters by the Cuban military," Díaz-Balart recalled in a public statement. "The thugs who have oppressed, tortured, and killed must face justice, and accountability must begin at the top," he asserted.
In the letter addressed to Trump, the lawmakers argue that his administration is in a "unique" position to resolve what they describe as a decades-old injustice. They emphasize that to date, only one person has been convicted in the United States in the case, while the top political figures have never faced criminal charges.
The downing of the small planes elicited a strong international condemnation at the time. The International Civil Aviation Organization determined that the aircraft were not in Cuban airspace when they were shot down.
Three decades later, the case remains an open wound for many families in the Cuban exile community. The request from the congress members aims to revive a historical demand: that those who ordered and carried out the operation face legal consequences, regardless of the passage of time.
With this move, the debate over responsibilities in one of the most tragic episodes of the relationship between Cuba and the United States returns to the forefront of the political scene in Washington.
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