The mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, posted a video on her X account in which she rejected any scenario in which power in Cuba passes from one figure of the Castro dynasty to another, warning that this would not be a transition but a continuation of the same repressive system.
His statements directly respond to reports about discreet conversations between advisors of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, nicknamed "El Cangrejo," the grandson of Raúl Castro, a lieutenant colonel in MININT and former personal security chief of his grandfather.
Those contacts, revealed in February by Axios and the Miami Herald, took place on the sidelines of a CARICOM meeting in Saint Kitts.
"Replacing one figure from the Castro dynasty with another is not a transition. It is a continuation," affirmed Levine Cava. The mayor was even more direct in stating that Cuba does not need "a regime change, nor another Castro, whether by blood or delegation, to whom power is handed over in a backroom deal."
"The reports about secret negotiations with Raúl Castro's grandson deeply concern me," he added. To understand who this figure is, it's enough to review the profile of 'El Cangrejo', his luxuries, and his role in these negotiations.
Levine Cava emphasized that Miami-Dade is the capital of the Cuban diaspora and that this community has borne the weight of repression for generations. She called for any change in Cuba to be led by civil society, dissidents, and independent leaders, not by military personnel or families of dictators.
"The Cuban people have been waiting for more than sixty-five years. What they need now is a genuine path to the future, led not by military leaders or families of dictators, but by civil society, by dissidents, by independent leaders, by the Cuban people themselves," he declared.
The mayor set specific conditions for what she considers real justice: no political prisoners, families able to live with dignity, access to food and electricity without prolonged blackouts, and Cubans being able to express themselves freely.
"The true justice will come when no one in Cuba is imprisoned for demanding their basic rights," he asserted.
Levine's statements come at a time of tension in Cuba
On March 13, Díaz-Canel publicly confirmed that the conversations with Washington are led by Raúl Castro and himself. However, "El Cangrejo" appeared that same month at a high-level meeting of the Central Committee in Havana, despite not holding an official position in the Party or the government, which demonstrates his real influence over structures like GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls between 30% and 40% of the Cuban economy.
An image that confirms Raúl continues to exert influence from the shadows, with his grandson as a key player in the political game. This is not the first time this figure has sparked controversy: the scandals that brought fame to 'El Cangrejo' in Havana and Miami have been circulating among the Cuban community for years.
In Congress, the rejection is equally firm. Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart stated on March 12: "There is no negotiation or immunity for the Castros or for Díaz-Canel."
The congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also rejected any negotiation scenario with the Castro family. The Trump administration has conditioned any agreement on the complete departure of the Castro family from power.
The backdrop is a Cuba in collapse: power outages of up to 20 hours daily, inflation exceeding 20%, chronic shortages of food and medicine, and an economy that contracted by 1.5% in 2025.
The fall of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, which supplied 70% of Cuba's oil, has drastically worsened the energy crisis. More than 500,000 Cubans have emigrated since 2022 and the UN has expressed its deep concern over the humanitarian situation on the island.
"Miami-Dade is with the people of Cuba, not with their oppressors. Freedom for Cuba," concluded Levine Cava in her message.
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