The Cuban activist Rosa María Payá expressed her gratitude this Saturday to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the executive order that expands sanctions against the Cuban regime, signed on Friday by Trump and which directly targets those responsible for repression on the island.
"Thank you, President Trump and Secretary Rubio, for sanctioning those responsible for the repression in Cuba," wrote Payá on the social media platform X, where she emphasized that "the thugs, the heads of GAESA who profit from the suffering of our people, and the family that hides their stolen fortune have lost their impunity."
Payá closed his message with a phrase that encapsulates the sentiment of the Cuban opposition: «The freedom of Cuba is near».
The executive order, signed on May 1, expands sanctions against the Havana regime and freezes assets in U.S. territory while prohibiting the entry into the country of officials, executives, board members, and their relatives linked to repression and corruption.
Among the main objectives is GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), the military conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of the formal Cuban economy and has estimated assets of more than 18 billion dollars.
The measure also includes secondary sanctions against foreign banks and financial institutions that conduct significant transactions with sanctioned Cuban entities, threatening their access to the U.S. financial system.
The order took effect immediately and without prior notification, specifically to prevent the swift transfer of funds by those affected.
Payá, commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the period 2026-2029 and founder of Cuba Decide, has been one of the most active voices supporting Washington's pressure strategy against the dictatorship.
Days earlier, the activist had already called for joining forces with the United States to achieve a democratic transition in Cuba, in line with Rubio's statements regarding the possibility of reforms on the island.
The new order is part of the maximum pressure strategy of Trump against Cuba during his second term, which has included the interception of at least seven tankers carrying oil destined for the island from January to the present.
The regime's reaction was immediate: Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected the sanctions on the same Friday, labeling them as "coercive measures" intended to intimidate Cuba, while Raúl Castro made a public appearance at the International Workers' Day parade, which was interpreted as a gesture of projecting strength.
The Cuban-American congressman Carlos Giménez (R-FL) supported the executive order, deeming it necessary to dismantle the "security apparatus that incarcerates political prisoners and oppresses the people."
Senator Rick Scott had asked Trump in April to intensify sanctions against GAESA and Cuban medical missions, directly pointing out the assets of the military conglomerate as a priority target.
According to data published by the Cuban regime, during Trump’s first administration—from January 2017 to January 2021—Washington implemented 243 measures, executive orders, fines, or legal actions against Cuba.
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