A delegation from the Progressive Caucus of the United States Congress visited Cuba last week on a secret trip that was confirmed this Wednesday thanks to a report from the Miami Herald.
The delegation, which had a dozen people, was led by progressive representatives Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar, who, in previous years, showed their sympathy for the Cuban dictatorship by positioning themselves against the U.S. embargo and favoring the normalization of relations with Washington.
Once the Miami Herald published its report, a caucus spokesperson confirmed the visit to Havana and explained that the supposed reason for the trip was for "humanitarian reasons."
"Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship," the spokesperson said without elaborating details.
Both Omar and Jayapal were part of the 40 democrats who turned their backs on the Cubans in July 2021, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the island to protest against the Cuban communist regime.
Take a good look at those standing on the wrong side of history.
These Members voted against a bipartisan resolution condemning the #Cuban tyranny's oppression & vowing solidarity with the brave Cuban people demanding freedom. This is a matter of basic human rights & democracy. pic.twitter.com/HzDI3bYaYn— Mario Díaz-Balart (@MarioDB) November 3, 2021
Omar and Jayapal, along with 38 other colleagues, on that occasion, voted against a symbolic resolution that supported peaceful protesters and requested "the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens."
Likewise, Jayapal has urged the Biden Administration to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism, an action taken under the Trump administration.
Once the secret trip was revealed, different Republican legislators and senators questioned the two Democratic congresswomen.
"Nicholas Wu and all members of the media should refer to the Progressive Caucus by their more accurate name - the Congressional Communist Sympathizing Caucus," Cuban-American Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis wrote on X (Twitter). "It's outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and supports Iran, Russia and Communist China against our interests."
"Perhaps their time would be better spent listening to the Cubans crossing our southern border & risking their lives on makeshift rafts to find out why they're fleeing Communism," Malliotakis said.
.@nicholaswu12 and all members of the media should refer to the Progressive Caucus by their more accurate name - the Congressional Communist Sympathizing Caucus.
It's outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and… https://t.co/4gC50jVyu4
— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) February 27, 2024
Representative Carlos Giménez (R-FL), also a Cuban American, did not precisely refer to the trip. Still, he did write several posts on X questioning the Castro regime, advocating to keep Cuba on the list of countries that finance terrorism.
The murderous dictatorship in #Cuba must be defeated — not appeased.
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) February 28, 2024
Communist Cuba must remain on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) February 27, 2024
Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, also denounced Jayapal and Omar's secret visit to the "anti-American dictatorship" on his X account.
Pro-Hamas members of marxist congressional squad just returned from a secret visit with anti-American dictatorship in #Cuba https://t.co/0YevLdYknd
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 28, 2024
