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The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC) called for a vigil in Miami to demand the prosecution of Raúl Castro as the alleged mastermind behind the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, which occurred on February 24, 1996.
The gathering will take place on Monday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cuban Memorial monument, located in Tamiami Park, with entrance via Coral Way and 112th Avenue.
The ARC demands that Raúl Castro be held accountable for the so-called "Massacre of February 24," in which American citizens Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, and Mario de la Peña, as well as permanent resident Pablo Morales, lost their lives. The four were involved in humanitarian missions to assist Cuban rafters in the Florida Straits.
"They were coldly massacred while carrying out humanitarian work in international waters, by pilots of the Air Force of the communist regime under the orders of Fidel and Raúl Castro," the organization stated in a press release.
Political pressure nearly 30 years after the overthrow
The vigil takes place a few days before the 30th anniversary of the downing and amid renewed pressures in Washington to bring criminal charges against Raúl Castro.
On February 13, 2026, Congress members Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez, and Nicole Malliotakis sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting that the Department of Justice consider formally charging him and assess the issuance of an Interpol red notice.
Lawmakers argue that, according to public information, Raúl Castro —then Minister of the Armed Forces— was part of the chain of command that ordered the attack on unarmed civilian aircraft in international waters.
The International Civil Aviation Organization concluded at the time that the shootdowns occurred outside of Cuban airspace. Three decades later, the case remains an open wound for numerous families in the Cuban exile community who seek justice.
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