A cargo plane Boeing 737-800BCF from the company 7 Air Cargo, named "Rosa," took off this Tuesday from Miami with the first shipment of the humanitarian aid package of 100 million dollars that the United States allocated to the Cuban people.
The flight directly contradicts the claims of the Havana regime, and the State Department accompanied its message with a categorical warning: the Cuban government will not be able to seize these resources.
The inaugural shipment carries 700 hygiene kits and 700 food items destined for Havana, and its departure was preceded by a press conference with U.S. officials on the runway of Miami airport.
The distribution will exclusively be in the hands of Catholic Relief Services, Cáritas Cuba, and the Catholic Church in Cuba, with no involvement from the Cuban government.
Jeremy P. Lewin, acting Assistant Secretary of State for External Assistance, was direct about it: "This is not your aid... You are not in a position to make decisions about this," and he warned that if the regime interferes, "they will be held accountable to their own people and to us."
The mechanism was specifically designed to protect resources: Catholic Relief Services purchases the products directly in the United States and sends them to Cuba; Caritas Cuba does not receive cash at any point.
The flight this Tuesday directly refutes what Miguel Díaz-Canel stated on June 19 before a Dominican television station, when he claimed that the aid would not begin until after September and that it would not include food or medicine, describing the offer as a "joke."
The State Department responded unequivocally: "That is totally and absolutely false. The shipments include food, as demonstrated during the inspections conducted in the humanitarian aid phases following Hurricane Melissa."
Despite his public criticisms, Díaz-Canel himself had formally accepted the aid in writing.
The total package of 100 million dollars was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 13, 2026.
Of that amount, 60 million will be managed by the Catholic Church and 40 million by independent non-governmental organizations. It is estimated that the complete package will benefit between 100,000 and 120,000 families across the island.
On Monday, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, met with the executive director of Catholic Relief Services to coordinate direct delivery, describing the effort as a way to "bypass the greedy and hypocritical communist regime of Havana."
This shipment adds to two previous deliveries totaling nine million dollars, channeled since January 2026 in response to Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba on October 29, 2025, affecting more than three million people.
Cáritas Cuba reported that it has utilized 82% of those previous funds, benefiting around 8,800 families in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Bayamo, and Guantánamo, even reaching remote areas using ox carts and without state mediation.
The flight occurs during a period of heightened diplomatic tension: on Monday, the State Department released the report "Cuba, Capital of 21st Century Communism," which accuses the nearly seven-decade regime of espionage and subversion in the United States.
Díaz-Canel responded this Tuesday by attacking Rubio, describing him as "one of the most corrupt officials of the current administration, with proven ties to drug traffickers and terrorists in Florida."
The State Department concluded its official statement with a message to the Cuban people: "This assistance underscores the importance of the United States' ongoing commitment to the Cuban people by providing essential humanitarian aid and vital support to those facing an increasing shortage of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential services."
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