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Former Senator Mel Martínez, the first Cuban-American to hold a seat in the United States Senate, endorsed on Monday the Trump administration's campaign of pressure against the Cuban regime from the steps of the Tower of Freedom in Miami, a historic symbol of the Cuban exile community.
"I believe that today we are living in a different era because we see an administration determined to bring about change," Martínez stated in comments reported by CBS Miami.
Martínez arrived in the United States in 1962 as a child, as part of the Operation Peter Pan, a program that clandestinely brought over 14,000 Cuban children out of the island between 1960 and 1962.
"Like Peter Pan, this building means a lot to me," he said. "My parents ended up here, at the Tower of Liberty, when they were finally able to reunite with me."
His statements come days after the Department of Justice declassified and publicly announced the federal criminal charges against Raúl Castro for his role in the downing of two civilian aircraft belonging to the organization Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four volunteers: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The charges against Castro include conspiracy to assassinate American citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of homicide.
The former senator was direct in assessing Washington's legal and diplomatic offensive: "President Trump seems very determined to end the Cuban system. So whether Castro comes here to face justice, as he should, or if the change happens in another way, I'm not going to be picky; I just want Cuba to change."
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