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The Republican congressman Carlos A. Giménez, the only member of the United States Congress born in Cuba, demanded on Friday that Raúl Castro be brought to justice for his "countless crimes against humanity," in a series of posts on X that coincided with the revelation of a secret visit by the CIA director to Havana.
"Raul Castro is a murderous dictator who must face justice for his countless crimes against humanity," wrote Giménez on his X account, using the hashtag #SOSCuba.
In another post that same day, the congressman was even more direct: "My name is Carlos Giménez. I am the only member of the U.S. Congress born in Cuba, and I fully support bringing the dictator Raúl Castro to justice."
The statements emerged hours after the Cuban regime itself revealed that the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, met on Thursday in Havana with high-ranking government officials, including General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, Minister of the Interior, and Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and the grandson of Raúl Castro.
The visit of Ratcliffe to Havana is considered the highest-level contact between Washington and the Cuban regime in decades, and it comes amid a severe energy and economic crisis on the island.
Giménez also publicly supported the statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom she quoted as saying that she supports "one hundred percent all of Secretary Rubio's plans against the terrorist regime in Havana."
Rubio had pointed out that Cubans "succeed everywhere in the world except in one place: Cuba," and warned that the island's economic model "will never change as long as the people currently in power continue to lead."
Giménez's demands are not new. In February 2026, along with Congress members Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Senator Rick Scott, he sent a letter to President Trump demanding that the Department of Justice formally charge Raúl Castro for the shootdown of two planes belonging to Hermanos al Rescate on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
"We firmly believe that Raúl Castro is responsible for this atrocious crime. It is time for him to be brought to justice," read that letter.
Giménez has also stated that Castro "is recorded on tape saying that he ordered the shooting down of one of those planes over international waters by a MiG that killed those four individuals."
In March 2026, Florida reopened a state investigation into the case, which had been closed during the Biden administration, and the state attorney general, James Uthmeier, expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration to hold those responsible accountable.
The Department of Justice is reportedly preparing a formal charge against Raúl Castro for the 1996 downing, although it is still pending approval from the grand jury, according to reports this week.
Giménez's statements reflect the tension between two approaches within the Trump administration's policy towards Cuba: the diplomatic opening represented by Ratcliffe's visit, and the maximum pressure stance led by Cuban-American lawmakers, who warn that any dialogue without criminal justice for the regime's leaders would be unacceptable.
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