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An 80-year-old Cuban exile broke down in tears live on Fox News while reacting to the formal charge from the United States Department of Justice against Raúl Castro for the shooting down of the planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.
Oscar Fernández, who left Cuba in 1961 at the age of 15, expressed with a trembling voice what the news means for decades of exile: “For 67 years, we have been ignored by everyone: the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the European Union, everyone.”
When asked what he hopes will happen next, Fernández was straightforward: "We hope this is the beginning of the downfall of the Castro regime."
The man, who has children and grandchildren born in Florida and New York, also looked toward the future of the island: "We are ready to return and help in the reconstruction of our country with work, with money, with investment, and with the love that has been lacking in Cuba for the past sixty years."
Fernández emphasized the role of the current administration compared to previous governments: "This administration is the only one trying to open the door for us. And we are not going to let this opportunity pass by."
The formal charge against Raúl Castro was announced on Wednesday by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Freedom Tower in Miami, an iconic building for the Cuban exile community, on a deliberately symbolic date: May 20, Cuba's Independence Day.
The federal grand jury had issued the indictment on April 23, and it was declassified the same day.
The charges include conspiracy to murder American citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of murder for the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, which occurred on February 24, 1996, when Cuban MiG-29s shot down two unarmed civilian planes over international waters in the Florida Straits.
Alongside Castro, five co-defendants were accused: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
Donald Trump described the day as "a great day" and noted that the Miami community appreciates what the Attorney General did. The Republican congresswoman from Florida María Elvira Salazar was more emphatic: "Today marks the beginning of the end for the Castro family."
The regime responded with rejection. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez labeled Marco Rubio as a “spokesperson for corrupt and vengeful interests,” the Cuban Embassy in the United States described the process as a “deception,” and the government threatened with a “fierce resistance” to any action arising from the case.
The accusation is historically unprecedented: it is the first time in almost 70 years that a senior leader of the Cuban regime faces criminal charges in the United States for the death of American citizens.
Raúl Castro is 94 years old, has never traveled to that country, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States, which makes his appearance in court unlikely, although the political and symbolic weight of the process is immense for the Cuban diaspora.
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