Havana, May 30 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Mike Hammer today to reprimand him for his interventionist and unfriendly behavior, which he has displayed since arriving in the Caribbean country.
In a statement, the Cuban Foreign Ministry emphasized that Hammer’s conduct is unbecoming of a diplomat and disrespectful to the Cuban people.
The director of Bilateral Affairs at the U.S. Directorate General, Alejandro García, delivered a verbal note of protest to the diplomat expressing his firm rejection of his behavior, according to the statement.
It was also stated that these actions violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and contradict the Agreement on the Restoration of Diplomatic Relations signed between the two governments.
García emphasized, as outlined in the verbal note delivered, that by inciting Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities, or to demonstrate in support of the interests and objectives of a hostile foreign power, the diplomat is engaging in provocative and irresponsible conduct.
He added that the immunity he (Hammer) enjoys as a representative of his country cannot be used as cover for acts contrary to the sovereignty and internal order of the country to which he is accredited.
The verbal note delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the Chargé d’Affaires’ public and insulting manipulation of the National Hero José Martí and emphasized that the diplomat demonstrates his ignorance of the fact that independence and anti-imperialism are pillars of the nation, based on the Apostle’s conviction and warning against the United States’ desire for domination.
In this regard, the director of Bilateral Issues took advantage of the meeting to give the diplomat copies of excerpts from José Martí’s unfinished letter to his Mexican friend Manuel Mercado.
The Trump administration killed Chevron’s license extension for its operations in Venezuela in order to secure the votes of three Cuban-American politicians from South Florida on Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill last week, Marc Caputo reported for Axios.
Trump special envoy Richard Grenell had announced that Chevron’s license would be given a 60-day extension following a deal with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro that secured the release of Joe St. Clair, a U.S. veteran imprisoned in Venezuela for six months.
But Cuban-American politicians, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were not happy about the deal.
Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez, all Republicans from South Florida, threatened to vote against the bill if the deal went through. Rubio eventually announced the license would expire, and in turn, the three Cuban-American members of Congress voted for the “big, beautiful bill.”
The bill passed the House by a single vote.
In February, the three legislators took a similar stance on the same issue, when they pressured Trump into cancelling the 2022 Biden deal that allowed Chevron to operate in Venezuela.
Their threats at the time led House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to dub them the “Crazy Cubans” during a Miami fundraiser they attended, to which Giménez and Díaz-Balart “chuckled approvingly.”
The three Cuban-American members of Congress are allies of Rubio, who has long advocated for harsher sanctions on Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
In a recent interview with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, Grenell said that the Trump administration’s Latin America policy is to keep the Chinese away through “engagement” in the region, as opposed to sanctions that “penalize American companies.”
Rubio’s hard-line policy on Cuba and Venezuela is the antithesis of engagement.
So far, the White House has favored Rubio’s approach.
Calla Walsh, a 20-year-old activist and U.S. citizen, said in a statement that she was detained for hours, interrogated, harassed and had her phone seized at Miami International Airport upon returning from Cuba. Other Cuba solidarity activists have reported similar experiences at Florida airports this year following visits to the island.
May 27, 2025 by JOSHUA GOODMAN The Associated Press
MIAMI — The recent apprehensions of several former Havana officials for deportation have been extremely popular among the politically powerful Cuban exile community in south Florida, though others worry it is yet another instance of a heavy-handed and possibly illegal immigration crackdown.
Immigration officials said Tomás Hernández worked in high-level posts for Cuba’s foreign intelligence agency for decades before migrating to the United States to pursue the American dream.
The 71-year-old was detained by federal agents outside his Miami-area home in March and accused of hiding his ties to Cuba’s Communist Party when he obtained permanent residency.
“It’s a political gift to Cuban-American hardliners,” said Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin American expert at Florida International University. But many Cubans fear they could be next on Trump’s list, he said, and “some in the community see it as a betrayal.”
While President Donald Trump’s mass deportation pledge has frightened migrants from many nations, it has come as something of a shock to the 2.4 million Cuban-Americans, who strongly backed the Republican twice and have long enjoyed a place of privilege in the U.S. immigration system.
Amid record arrivals of migrants from the Caribbean island, Trump in March revoked temporary humanitarian parole for about 300,000 Cubans. Many have been detained ahead of possible deportation.
Thanks to Cold War laws aimed at removing Fidel Castro, Cuban migrants for many decades enjoyed almost automatic refugee status in the U.S. and could obtain green cards a year after entry, unlike migrants from virtually every other country.
Support for Trump among likely Cuban-American voters in Miami was at an all-time high on the eve of last year’s election, according to a poll by Florida International University, which has been tracking the Cuban-American community since 1991. Trump rarely mentions Cubans in his attacks on migrant targets including Venezuelans and Haitians. That has given many Cubans hope that they will remain immune to immigration enforcement actions.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been trying to turn the immigration crackdown to their advantage. In April, grassroots groups erected two giant billboards on Miami highways calling Rubio and Republican Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez “traitors” to the Cuban-American community for failing to protect tens of thousands of migrants from Trump’s immigration policies.
The arrest of former Cuban state agents is one way to bolster Trump allies, Gamarra said.
In March, Giménez sent Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a letter with the names of 108 people he said were former Cuban state agents or Communist Party officials living unlawfully in the U.S.
“It is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security enforce existing U.S. laws to identify, deport and repatriate these individuals who pose a direct threat to our national security, the integrity of our immigration system and the safety of Cuban exiles and American citizens alike,” Giménez wrote, adding that the U.S. remains a “beacon of hope and freedom for those escaping tyranny.”
Giménez’s target list was compiled by Luis Dominguez, who left Cuba in 1971 and has made it his mission to topple Cuba’s government.
“Some people dream with making money, or with growing old and going on vacation,” said Dominguez, who lives in Connecticut. “I dream with seeing my country free.”
With support from the right-wing Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, he started combing social media and relying on a well-oiled network of anti-socialist sources, inside Cuba and outside the country, to dox officials reportedly behind human rights abuses and violations of democratic norms. To date, his website, Represores Cubanos — Cuban Repressors — has identified more than 1,200 such state agents, about 150 in the United States.
But removing Cubans who are no longer welcome in the U.S. could prove challenging.
The Trump administration sends a single 60-passenger plane to Cuba every month as part of its deportation drive, unchanged from the past year’s average, according to Witness at the Border, which tracks removal flights. At that rate, it would take almost 700 years to send back the estimated 500,000 Cubans who arrived during the Biden administration and now lack protected status.
Information for this article was contributed by Gisela Salomon of The Associated Press.
UN General Assembly votes on the draft resolution on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.| UN Photo/Evan Schneider
ORLANDO—The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) once again joined the international movement demanding an end to the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba by passing another resolution demanding an end to the decades-long embargo at its 54th International Convention last week in Orlando.
The resolution calls on President Trump to remove Cuba from the so-called “U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT)” list and urges Congress to lift all sanctions against the socialist island nation—condemning the six-decade embargo as a “humanitarian and economic catastrophe.”
For the past 64 years, since the Cuban Revolution, U.S. imperialism imposed an economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba. It prevents most engagement and trade while punishing other countries that engage with them. The blockade continues to inflict daily hardships on the Cuban people, creates shortages of food and medicine, restricts financial and trade opportunities, and prevents Cuba from obtaining vital medical equipment—despite U.S. claims of “supporting” the Cuban people.
The devastating toll of U.S. sanctions includes $164 billion in economic losses for Cuba since the embargo’s inception, with $5 billion in annual damages, according to United Nations estimates. The resolution also condemned the 243 new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, including restrictions on Cuban Americans sending remittances to families—a move which exacerbates the already fraught mass migration crisis from the region.
Additionally, the resolution rebuked the politically motivated terrorism designation, reinstated by Trump in 2025 just days into his second term—reversing President Biden’s last-minute removal of Cuba from the list. This arbitrary designation subjects Cuba to further sanctions and limits its ability to carry out critical financial transactions for food, medicine, and oil imports needed to power its electrical grid.
The CBTU resolution aligns with 32 consecutive U.N. General Assembly votes that condemned the U.S. embargo—most recently in October 2024, when 187 nations denounced the policy, which left only the U.S. and Israel in opposition. It also echoes a 2021 letter from 117 members of Congress, which argued that “a policy of engagement with Cuba serves U.S. interests and those of the Cuban people.”
For the CBTU, a constituency group of the AFL-CIO, the resolution reflects a longstanding, albeit uneven, working-class tradition of international solidarity. In an interview with People’s World, Lew Moye, a CBTU delegate from St. Louis and United Auto Workers (UAW) member, emphasized Cuba’s historic support for global liberation struggles, including in South Africa and the Black community in the U.S.
“Cuba has always been a staunch supporter of equality and justice,” Moye said. “They stood with South Africa against apartheid. They stood with us against racist discrimination and oppression. We can’t ignore that while our government punishes them for political differences.”
Moye stressed that U.S. workers must stand with Cuba against imperialist-driven policies: “Billionaires and corporations are the ones creating poverty for workers everywhere. We need international solidarity—not just with Cuba, but all workers internationally.”
As a result of the convention, CBTU delegates again pledged to mobilize their chapters and unions to pressure the Trump administration and Congress to lift the embargo and oppose bills like the FORCE Act, which seeks to permanently codify Cuba’s “terrorism” status.
The resolution also urges AFL-CIO affiliates and central labor councils to publicly denounce the embargo and fight Cuba’s SSOT designation—pushing the broader labor movement toward international peace and justice for working people.
1. Hypocrisy and strolling through Cuba: Johana Tablada, deputy director of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denounces the hypocrisy of US Chargé d’Affaires Mike Hammer, who is traveling around Cuba, something his government doesn’t allow its citizens to do for fear of them discovering the island’s reality.
2. The Love Discourse: Tablada accuses Hammer of using discourse of “love” and “support for the well-being of Cubans,” while ignoring the US responsibility for the economic and social difficulties Cuba faces due to its coercive policies.
3. Measures against Cuba: The official asserts that one must be “cynical, ignorant, cowardly, or malicious” not to recognize the link between Cuba’s serious problems and the measures implemented since 2019.
4. Destabilizing Actions: Tablada describes the US actions as an “extermination experiment,” which includes:
• Suspension of remittances.
• Persecution of companies linked to the fuel trade.
• Inclusion of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
• Criminalization of Cuban medical collaboration.
• Activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.
5. Marco Rubio’s Betrayal: Highlights that nearly one million Cubans emigrated to the US due to the rising cost of living caused by these sanctions, and denounces the betrayal of officials like Marco Rubio, who support anti-immigrant policies, while the Cuban government rejects interference disguised as humanitarian concern.
Translated by Amilkal Labañino / Cubasi Translation Staff
According to the COC, its president, vice-president, and secretary general were barred from attending regional Olympic meetings held this month in Miami and Puerto Rico due to visa denials. The organisation also noted that 14 athletes were unable to take part in a competition in Florida in March, while the national men’s basketball team missed the FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico in February, all because they had not been granted the necessary travel documents.
The COC attributed these incidents to what it described as an “arbitrary and politically-motivated handling of visa” requests, a result of Washington’s “aggressive policy” toward the island nation. Diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, which has been subject to a US trade embargo for more than 60 years, have deteriorated further under President Donald Trump‘s leadership.
INFORMACIÓN DEL COMITÉ OLÍMPICO CUBANO El Comité Olímpico Cubano (COC) informa que el no otorgamiento de visas por parte de la embajada de Estados Unidos en La Habana ha privado a su presidente, Roberto León Richards, y a otros directivos y atletas, de participar en importantes eventos deportivos internacionales organizados en ese país y Puerto Rico. Richards y el secretario general del COC, Ruperto Herrera Tabío, no pudieron asistir a la reunión del Comité Ejecutivo de Panam…See more
In its statement, the COC condemned “discriminatory practices that go against the spirit of sports” and called for “respect for the obligations and fundamental principles of Olympism.” Since President Trump began his second term in January, his administration has increased pressure on Cuba, reinstating its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
US authorities have also intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, including Cubans, and have revoked visas for individuals accused of anti-Semitism or of harbouring “hostile attitudes” toward the US. Despite these actions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that stricter immigration enforcement would not impact upcoming major international sporting events, including the jointly hosted 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
“We want it to be a success. It’s a priority for the president,” Rubio said, responding to concerns amid a reported decline in US tourism since Trump’s return to office. News outlet AFP has revealed they reached out to the International Olympic Committee for a response to Cuba’s allegations.
Analysis | May 28, 2025 Spring – a magazine of socialist ideas in action
For many Canadians, the US blockade on Cuba is thought to be a relic of the Cold War, either a product of the Soviet era or something eased under Obama’s “Cuban thaw.” This misconception allows American imperialism to go unchecked and obscures the enduring reality of one of the longest and most inhumane economic wars in modern history. In truth, the US blockade is still in full force, and under the Trump administration, it has become even more aggressive, tightening its stranglehold on the Cuban people.
The origins of US imperialist aggression
In 1959, the Cuban Revolution ended decades of US-backed exploitation. The revolutionary government, committed to the liberation of Cuba from imperialism and the establishment of socialism, faced immediate hostility from the United States. In 1960, the US imposed an economic blockade, aiming to starve the Cuban people into submission and topple the government. The blockade was codified by the Cuban Trade Act of 1962 and the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, making it a legal fixture of US policy that has remained intact ever since.
The blockade wasn’t just about punishing Cuba, it sent a clear message to the world: challenge US hegemony, and you’ll face isolation, economic ruin, and threats of violence. This is the true legacy of US imperialism, protecting capitalist interests at the expense of sovereignty and self-determination.
The myth of the blockade’s end
It’s easy to think the blockade is no longer relevant, especially after Obama’s attempts at diplomacy with Cuba. However, his historic opening of diplomatic relations didn’t end the blockade; it only eased certain restrictions. While travel, remittances, and some trade were permitted in a limited capacity, the core of the blockade, financial and trade restrictions, remained in place. Only the U.S. Congress, not the President, can reverse the blockade. Obama also importantly removed Cuba from the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list.
Obama’s approach, though a step forward, was primarily about opening Cuba to US business interests while maintaining pressure on the island’s government. The blockade stayed intact, and Cuba continued to face severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential technologies. But the thaw in relations was welcomed by the Cuban government and the rest of the world.
Trump’s escalation of imperialist hostility
Under Trump, the blockade didn’t just persist, it intensified. Trump’s administration rolled back Obama’s limited concessions and implemented harsher sanctions. One key move was placing Cuba back on the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list in 2020, a designation that further isolated the island. While this designation had no legitimate basis, it was a political tool designed to tighten the economic grip on Cuba and extend US control over Latin America.
Being on the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list made it even more difficult for Cuba to access international financial systems, as global institutions were pressured to sever ties with Cuban entities. Any country or company doing business with Cuba risked facing US sanctions, further isolating the island from the global economy. The designation also severely restricted Cuba’s ability to participate in international credit markets, receive foreign investment, or conduct transactions in US dollars.
Another critical aspect of the blockade is the total ban on items produced anywhere in the world that contain more than 10 percent US-origin components. This has made it nearly impossible for Cuba to access advanced technology, machinery, and raw materials crucial to sectors like healthcare, agriculture, energy, consumer goods and manufacturing.
The human cost of the blockade
The human cost of the blockade is staggering. Cuba’s achievements in healthcare, education, social services and more are overshadowed by the daily struggle to meet basic needs. The blockade prevents Cuba from accessing the resources it needs to function as a sovereign nation, causing regular shortages of food, medicine, and essential goods.
Cuba’s world-renowned healthcare system, while innovative, has been hit hard by the blockade. Despite developing its own COVID-19 vaccine, Cuba faces significant challenges due to a lack of access to critical medical supplies and technology. The blockade has made it increasingly difficult for Cuba to maintain the level of healthcare it wants for its people.
The effects go beyond the economic. The blockade fosters social and psychological hardship, limiting the potential of Cubans to live and work freely. Yet, despite everything, Cuba stands defiant, holding firm to the principles of the revolution.
The successes of the Cuban Revolution
Despite the crippling effects of the blockade, Cuba has achieved remarkable successes in areas like healthcare, education, and housing. These victories, made possible by the revolutionary government’s commitment to social justice, are a testament to the resilience of the Cuban people.
Healthcare: Cuba has built a healthcare system that is universally accessible and widely regarded as one of the best in the world, even with the ongoing limitations caused by the blockade. Life expectancy in Cuba is comparable to that of developed nations, and the country has consistently sent doctors and medical professionals to countries in need. Cuba developed its own vaccines, including the first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine in the region, which has been distributed not only within Cuba but also to other countries in need of assistance.
Education: The Cuban Revolution completely transformed the country’s education system, making education free and accessible to all. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with a focus on critical thinking, science, and technology. Cuba has also established programs that provide scholarships to students from other countries, particularly from the Global South, enabling many to access quality education they would not have otherwise received.
Housing: After the revolution, Cuba began significant housing reforms, eliminating the inequities of the pre-revolutionary system. Today, Cuba provides housing to its citizens, and the government has prioritized initiatives to improve living conditions, despite the economic challenges created by the blockade.
These accomplishments reflect the power of Cuba’s socialist project and demonstrate what can be achieved when a nation prioritizes the well-being of its people over the profits of multinational corporations.
Solidarity with Cuba: Standing against imperialism
In Canada, we must challenge the myth that the blockade is a thing of the past. The US blockade on Cuba is an ongoing attack on the sovereignty of the Cuban people, a direct reflection of imperialist violence, and a harsh reminder of the lengths the US will go to preserve global dominance. It’s time to act in solidarity with Cuba, not just in words, but through concrete actions.
Some of the ways we can contribute to the struggle for Cuban sovereignty include putting pressure on our government to take a clear stand against the US’s illegal blockade, join movements that support Cuba’s right to self-determination, and educate others about the ongoing brutality of the blockade.
As workers and socialists, Cuba’s struggle is our struggle. The fight to end the US blockade is not just a fight for Cuba, it is a fight against imperialism and for the dignity of all oppressed peoples around the world.
Author
Adam KendalAdam is a member of Spring and an executive member of the Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association of Toronto.
The American passport is one of the strongest in the world, offering visa-free access to 182 destinations. Some places, like Russia and Iran, require that Americans acquire a visa prior to entering the country. What some Americans may not realize, however, is that their own government has several restrictions about where they are allowed to travel, specifically to Cuba and North Korea.
Restrictions on travel to Cuba date back to 1962, when John F. Kennedy placed sanctions on the Cuban government and forbade U.S. citizens from traveling there. Under these restrictions, only specific categories of individuals, such as those visiting family, are allowed to go to Cuba. The only way that Americans can travel to Cuba currently is through “veiled tourism”—in which someone uses a “Support for the Cuban People” travel license to comply with American restrictions. Traveling to the country for explicit tourist purposes is completely banned.
The ban on going to North Korea is a much more recent development. The prohibition was implemented in 2017 and was related to the death of the jailed American student Otto Warmbier. If an American uses their U.S. passport to enter North Korea, their passport can be revoked, and they may face felony charges. Unfortunately, due to this ban, it is actually impossible for aspirational American travelers to visit every single country in the world without acquiring a second citizenship.
Everyone has different risk preferences and the level of risk that people are willing to expose themselves to is an individual decision. Caveat emptor is a Latin phrase that translates to “let the buyer beware.” The core principle of caveat emptor is that consumers are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before entering into a transaction. Visiting countries like North Korea or Cuba may involve certain risks, but ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide whether to assume those risks. While many Americans may be hesitant to travel to countries like North Korea, the government should not prohibit such travel outright—they should instead let the buyer beware.
The State Department categorically advises Americans not to travel to Russia due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. I lived in Russia during this time period, nevertheless. I exercised my own discretion and accepted the associated risks—risks I believed were often overstated. Had the government enacted a complete travel ban, I would have missed my graduation ceremony in Moscow and the many meaningful experiences and lasting memories I gained there after 2022. My time in Russia, despite official warnings, underscores a broader principle: individuals—not the government—should have the final say over the risks they are willing to take.
Travel bans to places like North Korea and Cuba are not just about safety—they are about freedom. Restricting the ability to travel limits personal liberty and the fundamental right to move and engage with the world on one’s own terms. True freedom includes the right to cross borders without undue interference from one’s own government. Moreover, if the countries that the State Department advises against going to are as dangerous or oppressive as claimed, Americans should have the freedom to go and investigate that for themselves.
The State Department placed Cuba back on the list of countries “not fully cooperating” with U.S. counterterrorism efforts a year after Biden had removed Cuba from the list. The reasoning behind the designation is that Cuba refuses to discuss the return of “U.S. fugitives from justice” as well as “other recent circumstances of non-cooperation,” according to a statement by spokesperson Tammy Bruce. The statement does not provide any details as to those circumstances.
Biden had removed Cuba from the list citing law enforcement cooperation between the two countries. According to Biden and Cuban officials, Cuba and the U.S. cooperate on several issues, including counterterrorism, migration and drug trafficking. Check out this interview with a member of the U.S. Coast Guard who spoke of his cooperation with his Cuban counterparts.
The list results in the prohibition of the sale or license for export of defense articles and services to Cuba. It is far less impactful than the State Sponsors of Terrorism List (SSOT), which cuts Cuba off from trade, investment and credit.
