Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this Thursday that Raúl Castro has become a “fugitive from U.S. justice” following the formal charges presented by a federal grand jury in the United States, and warned that he will not disclose how the government plans to bring him to court.
“I’m not going to talk about how we would bring him here, if we were trying to do that. Why would I tell the media what our plans are?”, Rubio replied to reporters' questions about the concrete steps Washington would take following the accusation against Castro for the shooting down of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996 over international waters of the Florida Straits.
"The reality is that, at this point, he becomes a fugitive from U.S. justice," he noted, while firmly responding to the question about how they would take him to the U.S.: "If there is an announcement, we will probably tell you afterwards, not before."
The statements by the head of U.S. diplomacy took place at a press conference shortly before departing for Sweden, where he will participate in the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting.
Rubio emphasized that the evidence against the former Cuban leader is compelling because the accused himself "openly admits and boasts" about having given the order to shoot down civilian planes.
That attack claimed the lives of four Cuban Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
The formal charge against General Castro was declassified on May 20 —Independence Day in Cuba— by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, during an event held at the Freedom Tower in Miami.
The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of murder. If found guilty, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
However, the lack of an extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States limits the immediate practical scope of the charges against the dictator.
Alongside Castro, five former Cuban military personnel were accused: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Bárzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez. The latter, identified as one of the pilots involved in the shootdown, is currently in U.S. custody since November 2025, having entered the country on humanitarian parole in 2024 and lying about his military past when applying for permanent residency.
The regime in Havana categorically rejected the accusation. The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel described it as a "political action with no legal basis," while the chancellor Bruno Rodríguez labeled it a "farce" and referred to Rubio as a "spokesperson for corrupt and vengeful interests." The island's authorities called for a march in front of the Anti-Imperialist Tribune in defense of Castro.
The accusation is part of an unprecedented escalation of pressure. Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions against Cuba and intercepted at least seven oil tankers, reducing energy imports by between 80% and 90%.
In another moment of the press conference this Thursday, when asked about the possibility of a negotiated agreement with Havana, Rubio was categorical: "Honestly, I don't see much progress," and emphasized that "the likelihood of that happening with those currently in power is not high."
He warned that the Cuban regime will no longer be able to employ its usual delaying tactics against Washington: "What they have done all these years is buy time and wait for us," he said. "They won't be able to wait for us or buy time. We are very serious. We are very focused."
The Secretary of State described Cuba as a "failed state" and pointed directly at GAESA, the Cuban military-business conglomerate, attributing 18 billion dollars in assets to it, asserting that "not a cent goes to the state budget or to help the Cuban people."
"His system doesn't work. His economic system doesn't work. It's broken and cannot be fixed with the current political system. They simply don't understand how to do it. It's a failed state," Rubio emphasized strongly.
Filed under: