The Democratic congressman Joaquín Castro warned that Washington should not attempt to impose a new government in Cuba or undertake military action to install a leader of its choosing, according to statements reported by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada on Thursday.
"It is not the task of the United States to go and select a new leader or president, nor to invade a country to install someone," stated the legislator when asked how Democrats will confront President Donald Trump's policy towards the island.
Castro was more direct when referring to the signals sent by the Republican administration: "As you know, President Trump and others in his government have made comments and implemented policies that suggest a Venezuela-style invasion (against Cuba) is still on the table. We hope that does not happen."
In response to the question of what specific measures the Democrats will take to prevent it, the legislator replied briefly: "We are working on that."
Castro is poised to be the next chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the House of Representatives when the new Congress, under Democratic control, takes office on January 3, 2027. From that position, he will have the ability to hold hearings and oversee the administration's policy towards Cuba and Latin America.
Trump: "I want to resolve the issue of Cuba before I leave."
Castro's words came after Trump declared that "he would certainly consider" a brief military campaign against Cuba in a phone interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt from the Salem News Channel.
The president set a personal goal. "I want to solve the issue of Cuba before I leave, and we have a very good and talented man for Cuba named Marco Rubio," he said, referring to the Secretary of State.
Trump described the island as "essentially a failed place, a failed nation," and justified eventual action for the Cubans who arrived in the United States as being "treated very poorly."
This rhetorical escalation contrasts with his stance from late September, when he had dismissed military action and stated that he preferred a negotiated agreement.
Since then, at a rally in Fort Myers, he proposed sending warships 50 yards off the Cuban coast, and on October 31, he promised that "no Castro will be in power" when he leaves the White House.
Who is Joaquín Castro?
Joaquín Castro was born on September 16, 1974, in San Antonio, Texas, and is the identical twin brother of Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration.
He graduated from Stanford in 1996 and earned his law degree from Harvard in 2000. He has represented the 20th district of Texas since January 2013 and secured his eighth term in the elections on November 3, 2026.
He has been a consistent critic of Trump's threats of military intervention in Latin America. In February 2025, he introduced a resolution to disauthorize any action in Mexico, warning that "the Trump administration's threat of military action against Mexico is dangerous and will lead us down a dark path."
In a Congressional hearing held this year, he questioned the pressure policy on Cuba: "We have tried a strategy with the island for decades. From what I have seen, they are living an outdated life and what we are doing now is making their existence even harder."
A Democratic Senate legislative advisor consulted by La Jornada warned, however, that Cuba will not be a priority for the new Congress, which will focus on affordability, healthcare, immigration, and ending the war with Iran.
The same advisor noted that Rubio's presidential ambitions could be a determining factor: "He has not kept it a secret that he wants to see a different government in Cuba, so it is hard to see him leaving his current position and running for the presidency without having achieved that."
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