The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has issued one of the clearest warnings to date regarding the situation in Cuba and its potential consequences for Washington.
During an interview held at the State Department on April 27, the official described the island as a center of regional instability, whose deterioration could directly impact U.S. security.
Rubio not only provided a harsh diagnosis of present-day Cuba, but also outlined the scenarios that, in his view, the Caribbean nation faces: either a total collapse or a transformation that, he stated, seems unlikely under the current leadership.
"A failed state" 90 miles from the U.S
In his remarks, Rubio defined Cuba in strong terms: "Cuba is two things at this moment. First, it is a failed state."
According to what he explained, the island “actually does not have a real economy, so its population lives in extreme misery and does not enjoy political freedoms.”
The Secretary of State emphasized that the seriousness of the Cuban situation does not solely lie in its internal crisis, but also in its geographic proximity and its role within the geopolitical landscape.
"It is literally 90 miles from Key West... so it is very close, and it is important because it is within our hemisphere," he emphasized.
A contributing factor is, according to Rubio, the presence of rival powers: “It is a country that hosts adversaries and competitors. The Chinese, the Russians, and others regularly use Cuba for their own purposes.”
The risk of a collapse: Direct impact on the U.S.
The most critical point of his statements came when discussing the possible consequences of a worsening of the Cuban crisis.
Rubio presented a scenario that, far from being abstract, poses a direct threat.
“There are only two things that can happen in Cuba. The first is total collapse,” he stated.
But he immediately clarified why this outcome is particularly concerning for Washington: “A humanitarian collapse 90 miles from our shores, in a country of 11 or 12 million people, is not good for the United States.”
With that statement, the head of American diplomacy made it clear that the deterioration of Cuba is not seen as an isolated problem, but rather as a phenomenon with the potential to generate migration crises, regional tensions, and security challenges on U.S. territory.
"‘Impossible’ reforms under the current government"
In light of this situation, Rubio stated that the only alternative to collapse would be an economic improvement, but he ruled out the possibility of this occurring under the current Cuban authorities.
"The other possibility is that the situation improves. But for it to improve, they need very substantial and serious economic reforms. Those serious economic reforms are impossible with these people in charge,” he stated.
The Secretary of State went further by questioning the competence and priorities of Cuban leadership.
"They are not only incompetent in economic matters. They have rolled out the red carpet for the adversaries of the United States to operate within Cuban territory against our national interests with total impunity," he asserted.
National security and foreign presence on the island
Another central focus of his warning was the strategic dimension of Cuba for the United States. Rubio denounced that the Cuban government has facilitated the presence of hostile foreign actors.
"We will not allow a foreign army, nor an intelligence or security apparatus, to operate with impunity 90 miles off the coast of the United States," he warned.
Rubio's statements reflect a perspective in which the Cuban crisis transcends domestic concerns and becomes a matter of hemispheric security. The combination of economic collapse, lack of freedoms, and the presence of rival powers positions the island as a critical point on Washington's agenda.
In this context, the central warning from the Secretary of State summarizes his government's concern: the fate of Cuba not only impacts Cubans but, due to its proximity and context, could become a direct challenge for the United States.
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