North Miami-Dade News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 22, 2024, Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Carlos A. Giménez (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), and Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) addressed a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The letter demands an explanation for the decision to allow agents from the Cuban regime to tour sensitive Transportation Security Administration (TSA) facilities at Miami International Airport.

"Given the fact that the Cuban regime is on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, it makes no sense for officials from a hostile government to be touring sensitive areas in our nation’s antiterrorism facilities," stated Rep. Salazar. "This is clearly yet another pretext to have Cuba removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list."

The State Department recently used this as a pretext for removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list shortly after excluding the regime from a separate list of governments considered uncooperative with U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

Rep. Salazar emphasized, "Allowing Cuban officials to visit our antiterrorism facilities is an outrageous risk to our national security."

The State Department oversees all official foreign government visits and would have approved and organized this visit. This incident follows previous instances where Cuban officials were permitted to visit U.S. military and national security facilities, including a January 2023 visit by Cuban officials to U.S. Coast Guard facilities that also prompted a letter from Congresswoman Salazar seeking clarification.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

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