The State Department dispatched this Tuesday from Miami the first humanitarian aid flight under the 100 million dollar package that Secretary Marco Rubio committed to the Cuban people, with the promise that the Trump administration is working towards "a freer and more prosperous future for Cuba."
A cargo plane from the company 7 Air Cargo took off from Miami International Airport bound for Havana, carrying 700 hygiene kits and 700 food items for Cuban families, as confirmed by the State Department in a statement.
The opening event was led by Jeremy P. Lewin, Acting Under Secretary of State for External Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, and by Viviana Bovo, Senior Adviser in the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The distribution was entrusted exclusively to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Cáritas Cuba, and the Catholic Church in Cuba, with no involvement from the Cuban regime.
The mechanism was designed to safeguard resources: CRS purchases products directly in the United States and sends them to the island; Cáritas Cuba does not receive cash at any time.
The labels affixed to the packages read, "Donation from the people of the United States of America to the citizens of Cuba," alongside the logo of Cáritas Cuba and the American flag.
Lewin was firm in warning the regime against any attempt at interference: "This is not your aid... You are not in a position to make decisions about this," and he added that if they interfere, "they will be held accountable to their own people and to us."
The flight directly contradicts the statements made by Miguel Díaz-Canel on June 19 in front of a Dominican television station, when he claimed that assistance would not start until after September and that it would not include food or medicine, calling it a "joke."
The State Department responded to those claims firmly: "That is completely and absolutely false. The shipments include food, as was demonstrated during the inspections carried out in the humanitarian aid phases following Hurricane Melissa."
Despite his public stance of mockery, Díaz-Canel had formally accepted the assistance in writing.
This Tuesday, the ruler himself responded to the report "Cuba, the capital of 21st-century communism" —published on Monday by the State Department— attacking Rubio and calling him "one of the most corrupt officials of the current administration, with proven ties to drug traffickers and terrorists from Florida."
The 100 million dollar package was announced by Rubio on May 8 from Rome, following his meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, and formalized by the State Department on May 13.
Of that total, 60 million will be managed by the Catholic Church and 40 million by highly trusted independent non-governmental organizations.
It is estimated that the complete package will benefit between 100,000 and 120,000 families across the island.
Rubio summarized Washington's position in May: "The Cuban people must know that there are 100 million dollars in food and medicine available to them right now, and the only reason they are not receiving it is the Cuban regime."
This first shipment builds on the experience gained from two previous deliveries totaling nine million dollars, sent since January 2026 in response to Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba on October 29, 2025, and affected more than three million people.
Cáritas Cuba executed 82% of those previous funds, benefiting approximately 8,800 families in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Bayamo, and Guantánamo, even reaching remote areas using ox carts and without state intermediation.
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