Progressives Defend Cuba Trip As 'productive' Amid Gop Backlash

Progressive lawmakers hit back on Friday against criticism of their recent trip to Cuba, arguing the pushback largely from Cuban-American Republicans was “hyperbolic and meritless.”

Last week, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) visited Havana to meet with Cuban officials, including President Miguel Diaz-Canel, as part of an effort to mend ties with Washington. They also met with relatives of those imprisoned for protesting against the government.

News of the trip only broke publicly this week in a report from the Miami Herald. That prompted criticism from Republican lawmakers, including South Florida’s Cuban-American representatives, who slammed the pair for not disclosing the trip publicly before going — and questioned why they went at all.

Jayapal told POLITICO the visit was not disclosed beforehand for security reasons, while Omar said it was necessary for informing legislative decisions.

“Their reactions are hyperbolic and meritless,” Omar said. “For them to infer that we would need permission from them to do the work that we think is necessary as members of Congress, again, it's ridiculous.”

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), who was born in Havana and fled the island as a young child, told POLITICO he was “offended” that the two went to meet with an “oppressive” regime.

“Supposedly they're on the side of the people. Well, the people of Cuba have been trying to escape Cuba for 60 years,” Gimenez said. “If it’s so great there, why are they going here?”

Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), who represents Miami's Little Havana neighborhood in Congress, said she wished they had consulted her before going.

“I wanted them to have told me about it, so I could tell them some of the items that maybe you should have put on the agenda,” Salazar said. “I never knew about it. I heard through some sources. I didn't want to believe it. But why were they there?”

Jayapal told POLITICO she has since had an amicable conversation with Salazar about the trip.

The visit came as Cuba navigates economic stagnation, attributed to knock-on effects from the political and financial turmoil in its ally Venezuela, as well as U.S. sanctions and economic mismanagement from the central government that have created widespread shortages of basic goods and blackouts on the island.

Those conditions sparked nationwide demonstrations in 2021, when the Cuban government arrested thousands of protesters calling for an end to the island’s communist regime. Hundreds remain in state custody, according to human rights group Amnesty International, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans have fled the island for the United States in the past two years.

President Joe Biden is facing pressure from progressives to adopt a warmer policy toward the Cuban government after his predecessor, Donald Trump, undid many of the Obama-era efforts to thaw relations. Trump also redesignated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Biden administration has unveiled new efforts to support Cuban entrepreneurs, reopened the U.S. Embassy in Havana and relaxed some travel restrictions, but has largely kept Trump-era sanctions in place.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been advocating stronger ties with Cuba for years, but members have ramped up their efforts in the past six months during meetings with the State Department and the Cuban government, Jayapal said.

They say, however, that progress has been limited. In particular, progressives want the administration to remove Havana from the state sponsors of terrorism list, which includes Iran, Syria and North Korea. Lawmakers were previously under the impression the White House was working to do that, but Jayapal said “that is not underway.”

The State Department declined to comment on whether it is reviewing Cuba's designation.

Critics of the Cuban government have strongly opposed efforts to change the designation, pointing to Havana’s support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah as well as its intelligence-sharing with Russia, China and other U.S. adversaries.

“[The Cuban government] is a symbol of anti-Americanism, of antisemitism … 90 miles away,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said in a brief interview Thursday.

Despite the pushback, Jayapal and Omar said they plan to work with a wider range of progressives and continue to push the administration to further warm relations with Havana.

Meetings with Cuban leadership were “really productive,” Omar said. “It was frank, honest conversation … We were able to challenge them on some of the concerns that we have that might continue to hinder the possibility of having a more productive relationship.”