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The Miami-Dade County Commissioner, Natalie Milian Orbis, held a meeting with the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Cuba, Mike Hammer, to discuss the political situation on the island, the repression, and the role of the South Florida community in response to the Cuban crisis.
"I felt honored to meet with the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States for Cuba, Mike Hammer, to discuss the current political conditions within Cuba and what may lie ahead for the Cuban people," the official wrote on her X account in a message posted after the meeting.
According to details in that same social media post, during the meeting they spoke “honestly about the realities on the ground, the ongoing repression, and the urgent need for accountability and freedom.” He also added that “Miami-Dade has a unique responsibility to remain engaged, informed, and to raise its voice.”
Milian Orbis explained that they also discussed how the community can support Hammer’s diplomatic mission. “We also discussed how our community can support his mission and remain in solidarity with the Cuban people while they seek freedom and human rights,” he stated.
The commissioner concluded by assuring that she will continue to advocate for that cause: “We will remain a strong voice for freedom. Miami-Dade does not forget and we do not look the other way.”
The meeting takes place weeks after the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution supporting Mike Hammer against harassment from the Cuban regime during his visits to various provinces of the island. On that occasion, the official stated that the county “will not remain silent” in the face of attempts to intimidate an American diplomat for “speaking to his own people,” and emphasized that Hammer was working to “shed light on the truth” regarding the conditions in Cuba.
In recent months, Milian Orbis has maintained a firm stance regarding the policy towards Havana. In January, he promoted a resolution unanimously approved to request the suspension of federal licenses related to Cuba until thorough audits and greater transparency are established.
In that context, he stated: “We cannot allow a communist regime to exploit federal authorizations that harm the interests of the United States and our community.” He also warned that “The communist regime is facing unprecedented pressure” and advocated for the need to implement sanctions “without hesitation.”
More recently, he reiterated his call to review the humanitarian exemptions that he claimed were being used to authorize the export of luxury goods to the island. “Humanitarian exemptions were never intended to finance luxuries for the Cuban communist elite. Ferraris, jacuzzis, and jet skis do not feed families or provide medicines. They serve the regime's elite, not the Cuban people,” he stated, emphasizing the need for strict enforcement of sanctions.
The meeting with Hammer is part of that line of public action, focused on denouncing repression in Cuba, supporting political pressure on the regime, and keeping the issue on the institutional agenda of Miami-Dade.
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