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The Republican congressman Mario Díaz-Balart published a strong statement on X in which he accused the Cuban regime of being much more than a repressive dictatorship: a hostile adversary that actively works to infiltrate American institutions and manipulate policy-making in Washington.
"Another disturbing reminder that the Castro regime is not just a dictatorship oppressing the Cuban people, but a hostile adversary, just 90 miles from our shores, actively working to undermine U.S. national security interests by infiltrating American institutions and influencing U.S. policy-making," he wrote.
The legislator shared the news from Fox that U.S. federal authorities are investigating a Cuban diplomat for an alleged influence operation in favor of the regime.
This Tuesday, Fox News Digital revealed the case of Cuban diplomat David Ramírez Álvarez, Second Secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C., who was allegedly coordinating a malign foreign influence campaign on U.S. soil.
A video shows him speaking online in a union hall in California, informing American activists about congressional legislation, lobbying goals, and national organizing efforts to pressure lawmakers in favor of Havana.
"What I can do is provide you with an update on what is happening right now in Congress, what legislative actions are currently being promoted," says the official.
Researchers are examining whether these activities violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as intentional noncompliance can lead to criminal liability.
The case of Ramírez Álvarez is part of a broader legal offensive.
The Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury are already investigating 145 pro-Cuba non-profit organizations with combined annual revenues of approximately 1 billion dollars, including CODEPINK, People's Forum, BreakThrough News, ANSWER Coalition, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Tricontinental.
The tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, based in Shanghai, is believed to have funneled between 278 and 285 million dollars to that network since 2017.
The immediate trigger of this entire offensive was the formal indictment of Raúl Castro on May 20 for the downing of planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four Cuban-Americans.
Researchers detected that just nine minutes after the announcement by Attorney General Todd Blanche, a national rapid response network was already active to mobilize support for the regime, a coordination they consider a possible sign of foreign direction.
Investigators are also examining the diplomat's connections to the ICAP (Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples), which declassified CIA documents describe as "designed to organize foreign associations that respond to the direction of Havana."
In his post, Díaz-Balart praised the Trump administration for its response: "President Trump and Secretary Rubio clearly understand the threat posed by the Castro regime and have been bold and decisive in confronting its malevolent influence and defending America's national security."
This stance is part of a maximum pressure policy that includes the national emergency declaration on Cuba signed by Trump on January 29, 2026, the sanctions against GAESA announced by Marco Rubio on May 7, and the confirmation by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before Congress that Cuba poses a threat to national security, linking it to the use of ports by Russian vessels and cooperation with Russia and China.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington rejected the accusations against Ramírez Álvarez and affirmed that its diplomats act in accordance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The regime, for its part, responded to Hegseth's statements with a brief: "Cuba does not threaten."
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