Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday doubled down on his call for President Biden to assist the Cuban people, who are protesting the tyrannical communist regime, urging the White House to help provide internet access following the state-mandated internet shut down.
“We are seeing on the island of Cuba people fighting against the communist dictatorship. That is a noble cause. A free Cuba is a noble cause,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Miami, Florida, alongside Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr.
“It’s a cause that many of these people have dedicated their lives to, and so we obviously have to stand with the people of Cuba against the communist dictatorship,” DeSantis continued.
“And one of the most effective things we can do as a country, and we need President Biden to step up to make this happen, and I spoke with FCC Commissioner Carr on the phone, we can be able to be helpful to getting internet back on the island of Cuba,” he said. “The one thing that communist regimes fear the most is the truth.”
“And if we’re able to help Cubans communicate with one another, also communicate to the outside world, that truth is going to matter. That truth, I think, will be decisive,” he said, calling on the president to act.
“And so Mr. President now is the time to stand up and be counted,” he said:
I’ve never seen a community more unified than what we’ve seen here over the last nearly a week. So this is a time for choosing. This is time to stand with the people who are seeking freedom from a brutal 62-year reign of communist oppression, and we’re happy to do whatever we can on the state level to be able to assist the effort. This is not something that is as easy as saying ok, next minute it will be on, but we absolutely can do it if we get quick movement out of the White House.
“And so Mr. President, please heed the calls. Stand with the people of Cuba in their hour of need. This is one of, I think, the key things that can be done at this moment in time,” DeSantis added.
The governor sent a letter to Biden on Wednesday, urging him to assist in providing internet access to the Cuban people following the regime shutting down internet access to silence citizens:
Carr said DeSantis’s call for Biden to act is “exactly right.”
“We have the technical capability to do this & doing so would show strong support for their fight for freedom,” he said: