Dariel Fernandez, tax collector for Miami-Dade County and Cuban-American, responded this Saturday to Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen with a direct message: the suffering of the Cuban people does not stem from the policies of the Trump administration, but from decades of communist dictatorship.
The exchange was triggered by a post from the senator from Maryland in which Van Hollen stated that “Trump and Rubio's embargo on Cuba has created a humanitarian crisis” and that “they are making life miserable for the Cuban people, including children, not the regime.”
The Democratic legislator attached an article from the New York Times regarding new sanctions imposed by Washington and called for an end to the pressure measures.
Fernandez emphatically rejected that narrative. "Senator, with all due respect, the Cuban people do not suffer because of President Trump or Secretary Rubio. They suffer from a murderous communist-socialist dictatorship that has denied them freedom, destroyed their economy, imprisoned their opponents, and controlled practically every aspect of their lives for decades," he wrote on his verified X account.
The elected official, born in Güines and Madruga and emigrated to the United States in 2002, was explicit about his position as a Cuban-American: "I reject the idea that the dictatorship should be portrayed as the victim. The victims are the Cuban people."
Fernandez also pointed to what he described as the true failure of foreign policy: "The failed policy of the last six decades has been to provide excuses for a brutal dictatorship while demanding little accountability from those responsible for the repression and economic destruction of Cuba."
The position of Senator Van Hollen aligns with the official thesis of the Cuban regime, which systematically attributes the island's problems to U.S. sanctions rather than to the management of its own authorities.
This narrative has gained traction in sections of the Democratic Party, especially since the Trump administration intensified pressure on Havana with an executive order signed at the end of January 2026 that threatens tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.
At the beginning of May, Van Hollen himself posted on his X account a message demanding an end to the oil blockade imposed on Cuba by the Trump administration, calling it "reckless" and stating that the only consequence achieved has been a humanitarian crisis that punishes the Cuban people, not the regime.
“The only change that the United States has managed to impose on Cuba is a humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people, due to the reckless blockade by Trump and Rubio that punishes the Cuban people, not the Cuban regime,” declared the Democratic senator.
Since taking office, Fernandez has been one of the most active elected officials in applying that pressure: his office sent nearly 3,900 compliance notices to businesses with possible unauthorized commercial ties to Cuba, and subsequently rescinded business licenses for companies in an irregular situation.
He was elected in November 2024, becoming the first elected tax collector in Miami-Dade in over 60 years, after defeating the Democrat David Richardson.
The message from Fernandez concluded with a direct request to the legislator: "Stand with the Cuban people, senator, not with the narrative of the dictatorship. The Cuban people do not need another lifeline for the regime. They need freedom, democracy, human rights, and free elections."
Related videos:
Filed under: