The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, added the Rapid Response Brigades, the Territorial Troops Militias (MTT), and the Cuban Revolution Fighters Association (ACRC) to the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN) on Monday, in a new round of sanctions against the Cuban regime under Executive Order 14404.
The measure places the Rapid Response Brigades at the center of the sanctions, which have been considered one of the main instruments of political repression in Cuba for decades.
Created in June 1991 by the decision of Fidel Castro and the Communist Party of Cuba, during the Special Period, these brigades are made up of civilians aligned with the regime, PCC militants, and military personnel in civilian dress who act as a paramilitary force to intimidate and repress opponents, activists, and demonstrators.
Various international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented for years the use of these brigades in acts of repudiation, beatings, and other physical aggression against citizens expressing dissent.
His actions gained particular notoriety during the protests on July 11, 2021 (11J), when they operated alongside the Ministry of Interior (MININT) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) in the repression of the largest anti-government demonstrations recorded in Cuba in decades. Human Rights Watch documented over 1,400 arrests in just three days.
One of the most well-known cases related to these structures came to light in April 2025, when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Daniel Morejón García in Miami, a former president of the National Defense Council in Artemisa and identified as a member of the Rapid Response Brigades. U.S. authorities accused him of involvement in beatings and physical abuse against participants of the 11J protests.
In March 2025, the regime organized preparedness exercises with these brigades in the provinces of Guantánamo and Holguín, including shooting practices and weapon handling, with the aim of "countering actions from the enemy and safeguarding territorial integrity," according to official propaganda media.
In addition to the Rapid Response Brigades, OFAC sanctioned the Territorial Troops Militias (MTT), created on January 20, 1980, under the doctrine of the so-called "War of All the People." The MTT, classified as a governmental entity, consists of more than one million members organized under the structure of the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
The list also includes the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution (ACRC), founded on December 7, 1993. According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, members of this organization have participated in acts of repudiation where they "threaten and physically assault" activists and dissidents.
They also sanction economic entities of the regime
In the same decision, OFAC expanded sanctions against several state entities deemed sources of funding for the Cuban regime. These include the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), the Port Maritime Transport Business Group (GEMAR), the Foreign Trade Business Group (GECOMEX), the Antillean Export Corporation S.A. (ANTEX) —linked to the military conglomerate GAESA—, OSDE Caudal S.A., and the energy sector companies COREYDAN S.A. and ENETEC S.A.
Meanwhile, the Department of State released a statement titled "Further Sanctions on the Cuban Regime's Sources of Funding and Tools of Oppression", which framed these measures as part of Washington's strategy to increase pressure on the repressive and financial structures of the Cuban Government.
This is the sixth round of sanctions imposed under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026. Previous actions targeted GAESA and its CEO, Ania G. Lastres Morera, on May 7; the Intelligence Directorate and MININT, on May 18; MINFAR, the CDR, and ICAP along with Miguel Díaz-Canel and other high-ranking figures, on June 4; CUPET on the 11th of that same month; and financial entities controlled by GAESA, on June 23.
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