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The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners today approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis to express its support for American diplomat Michael A. “Mike” Hammer for his work in Cuba “to highlight the difficult situation of the Cuban people,” despite what the text describes as harassment and intimidation by the regime.
The resolution, according to the note sent by the Board to our editorial team, reaffirms Miami-Dade's solidarity with the Cuban people and the county's commitment to freedom and human rights.
According to the statement, Milian Orbis asserted that the county "will not stay silent" in the face of what he described as an attempt by the "Cuban dictatorship" to intimidate an American diplomat for "speaking with his own people."
In her statement, the commissioner asserted that Hammer is working to "shed light on the truth" regarding the conditions on the island and said that for this reason, "he deserves our admiration and respect."
The approved positioning is part of a broader political message: "Our community stands firm with the Cuban people and the cause of freedom," stated Milian Orbis in the press release.
The statement places the approval within the County Commission and specifies that the resolution was driven by District 6 of Miami-Dade.
The work of Mike Hammer that makes one uncomfortable
At the beginning of this year, several acts of repudiation organized by the Cuban regime were recorded against the American diplomat Mike Hammer.
The first of these took place in the city of Trinidad, where a group of people confronted the ambassador as he was leaving the San Francisco de Paula Church, after meeting with Priest José Conrado Rodríguez.
Local witnesses and academics shared a video of the incident on social media, in which shouts and insults directed at the diplomat can be heard.
Hours later, during the night of February 1st, a second act of repudiation took place at the Hotel Santa María, in the Plaza del Gallo of Camagüey.
A crowd mobilized by local authorities awaited the diplomat amidst a general power outage, chanting slogans and insults. Images shared by journalists and activists showed the involvement of young people called upon by the Communist Party, in an atmosphere of tension and surveillance.
On that same day, the United States government expressed its position through the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, which demanded that the Cuban regime cease its aggressions and interference in diplomatic work.
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also condemned the events, labeling the acts of repudiation as state-directed attacks by the Cuban government, warning that Washington will not tolerate acts of harassment against U.S. representatives.
Later, Mike Hammer continued his public agenda and visited Ciego de Ávila, where he met with local families despite the provocations.
On social media, the U.S. Embassy emphasized the peaceful nature of its diplomatic work and reiterated that the insults do not represent the Cuban people.
The events marked an increase in tension between Washington and Havana, in a context of growing international pressure on the Cuban government for its repressive policies and human rights violations.
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