Related videos:
The Republican congressman Mario Díaz-Balart stated this Friday, on the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, that Cuba's freedom is closer than ever thanks to President Trump's leadership, during an event held at the headquarters of Brigade 2506 in Little Havana, Miami.
The legislator from Florida spoke to media outlets such as Telemundo 51, Martí, and Local 10 News from the podium of the House of Representatives set up in front of the historic flag of Brigade 2506, at an event that brought together veterans and members of the Cuban-American community.
"We remember the brave Cuban patriots who risked everything in the fight for freedom against a brutal dictatorship," stated Díaz-Balart. "Their courage reminds us that the cause for freedom in Cuba is not over."
The congressman emphasized that a free Cuba represents a national security interest for the United States and for the entire region, and reaffirmed that Washington remains "steadfast in supporting the Cuban people's right to live in freedom and dignity."
Díaz-Balart's words come at a time of maximum pressure from the Trump administration on the Cuban regime.
Since January 2026, Washington has imposed more than 240 new sanctions, and on January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, which declares Cuba an extraordinary threat to national security and authorizes tariffs on countries that supply it with oil.
This Saturday, the Trump administration offered access to Starlink for Cuba in exchange for free elections, the release of political prisoners, and economic reforms, a condition that Secretary of State Marco Rubio clearly summarized: "You can't fix their economy if you don't change their system of government".
Trump himself described Cuba on April 13 as a "highly oppressive system and a nation in bankruptcy poorly managed by the Castros".
The commemorations for the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs began on Friday with a solemn vigil at the Monument to the Martyrs on Calle Ocho and Avenida 13, where Rafael Montalvo, president of the Association of Veterans of Brigade 2506, led the event and the names of the fallen were read one by one.
"We made a promise to never abandon our martyrs of the Bay of Pigs, and today we are demonstrating that here," Montalvo stated.
This Saturday, the Brigade also inaugurated its newly renovated headquarters in Little Havana, which includes a modern museum and library spanning 11,000 square feet, as part of efforts to preserve the historical memory of the operation that attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro in April 1961.
Cuba, meanwhile, is facing a projected decline in its GDP of 7.2% in 2026, totaling a drop of 23% since 2019.
Filed under: