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The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar published a message filled with historical emotion this Friday, recalling those who dedicated their lives to the cause of freedom in Cuba without witnessing the moment that, according to her, is closer than ever before.
"Tons of heroes of a free Cuba never got to see this moment. They fought, suffered, sacrificed themselves, and kept the hope for freedom alive for generations. We are closer than ever," wrote Salazar on her X account, in response to a tweet from Cuban-American strategist Giancarlo Sopo, who expressed: "I wish my father were alive to see this. The hour is near. Cuba will be free."
The message from Sopo linked to a report from CBS News which revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is moving forward to file criminal charges against Raúl Castro, 94 years old, for the downing of two aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996.
In that attack, Cuban MiG-29 fighters shot down two unarmed Cessnas over international waters, killing Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. The OAS determined that the shootdowns occurred nine and ten nautical miles outside Cuban territorial airspace, in violation of international law. The Department of Justice seeks to criminally charge Raúl Castro for that crime, which has been an open wound for the Cuban-American exile community for 30 years.
The tweet from Salazar comes during a week of heightened diplomatic tension. This Thursday, the director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana to deliver Trump's message to the regime: the United States is willing to engage in dialogue, but only if Cuba makes "fundamental changes." Ratcliffe met with the head of Intelligence of MININT and with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro, known as "El Cangrejo."
The pressure on Havana is unprecedented. On May 7, Marco Rubio announced specific sanctions against GAESA —the military conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of the Cuban economy— with a deadline of June 5 for foreign companies to cease operations. Salazar praised these sanctions, describing them as a blow to "the financial heart of the dictatorship."
The energy crisis on the island is worsening the situation: the electrical deficit reached a record annual high of 2,113 MW last Wednesday, with blackouts lasting up to 22 hours in Havana and 24 hours in eastern provinces. The Minister of Energy publicly admitted that Cuba has no reserves of diesel or fuel oil.
Last Wednesday, Salazar warned that the United States can no longer pretend that the Cuban crisis ends on the shores of the island, describing the regime as "a threat to national security" located just 90 miles from Florida.
In April, before Congress, Salazar had been even more direct: "The communist regime in Cuba is on life support. Trump just has to unplug it."
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