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Rosa María Payá, Cuban activist and member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), reacted this Tuesday on her social media to the statements made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth before Congress, emphasizing that «the Cuban regime poses a threat to the national security of the U.S.»
Payá shared the video of the exchange between Hegseth and the Republican congressman Mario Díaz-Balart during a hearing of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee held this Tuesday.
In her post, the activist added that “the regime's cross-border actions have fueled democratic instability in Latin America, threatening the national security of the U.S. through organized crime, mass migration, and more.”
During the hearing —which primarily focused on the military budget for 2027—, Díaz-Balart questioned Hegseth point by point about the threats posed by the Cuban regime.
The secretary confirmed that Cuba harbors terrorists and fugitives from U.S. justice, and that the Cuban Air Force shot down two civilian planes in international airspace, referring to the attack on the Hermanos al Rescate aircraft on February 24, 1996. "I don't remember the exact year, but I think that's how it was," said Hegseth.
Hegseth also confirmed that Russian warships, including the nuclear submarine Kazán, have used Cuban ports, and described the Russian signals intelligence facility in Lourdes as "very problematic" due to its proximity to U.S. shores. "We have been concerned for a long time that a foreign adversary would use that kind of location, which is very problematic," he stated.
Regarding the presence of Cuban personnel abroad, Hegseth stated that he is "very aware that Cubans have been all over the world, even trying to defend Maduro in Venezuela." However, he mentioned that he was not aware that thousands of Cubans are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, a figure that Ukrainian intelligence estimates could be as high as 25,000 people.
When asked about the advanced Cuban espionage against the U.S.—pointed out by the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations—Hegseth replied: "That all sounds very right, sir."
The final question from Díaz-Balart was straightforward: «Do you believe the Cuban regime poses a threat to the national security of the United States?». Hegseth's response was emphatic: «Yes».
The congressman later posted the exchange on social media with the remark that "previous administrations have overlooked the threat, but the Trump administration is taking it seriously."
Payá's reaction is framed within a context of increasing pressure from Washington on Havana. Since January 2025, the administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions against Cuba and reinstated the island on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
Payá, founder of Cuba Decide and daughter of the dissident Oswaldo Payá, has been arguing for years that the regime is not only a threat to Cubans but also a destabilizing actor with a global reach connected to Russia, China, Venezuela, and Iran.
Last Sunday, the advancement of the Department of Justice to revoke the citizenship of Cuban spy Víctor Manuel Rocha, a former ambassador sentenced to 15 years in prison for betraying the U.S. over 51 years, was also celebrated.
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