Five officials from Cuba’s communist regime — a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism — conducted a secret guided tour of Miami’s International Airport on Monday hosted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The secret tour, which reportedly lasted approximately five hours, is part of alleged “law-enforcement cooperation” between both countries and saw Castro regime officials visit the TSA’s control facilities in Miami’s airport, which contain some of the agency’s sensitive computer systems.
The visit of the Castro regime officials prompted the condemnation of the Cuban diaspora in Florida as well as that of local Miami-Dade County and airport personnel, who were allegedly unaware of the planned visit.
Cuba has been designated by the United States as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) due to the communist Castro regime’s deep ties with several international terrorist organizations such as the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Shiite jihadist organization Hezbollah, and Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Marxist terrorist groups.
The Castro regime also maintains ties with the Sunni jihadist terrorist group Hamas and has repeatedly condemned Israel for conducting self-defense operations against Hamas following the terrorist group’s unprecedented October 7 terrorist attack on Israeli territory that left over 1,200 dead and hundreds of hostages.
Cuba appeared on the SST list from 1982 until 2015, when former President Barack Obama, who exercised a friendly stance towards the rogue communist regime, had Cuba removed. Cuba was reintroduced to the list in January 2021 during the administration of former President Donald Trump.
While Cuba presently remains on the United States’ SST list, the administration of President Joe Biden removed Cuba last week from the list of countries that are “not cooperating fully” with the United States in the fight against terrorism.
According to State Secretary Anthony Blinken, Cuba’s inclusion on the list was “no longer appropriate” due to Cuban officials and U.S. law enforcement officials “once again” working together on counterterrorism and other related efforts.
The Castro regime’s TSA-guided tour of the Miami international airport occurred on May 20, Cuban Independence Day. With some minimal aid from the United States, Cuba seceded from Spain on May 20, 1902.
The Castro regime has made over efforts to erase the legacy of May 20 and does not celebrate it, going as far as to ban Cubans from observing their own independence. Instead, the Cuban communists force citizens to “celebrate” July 26, when late dictator Fidel Castro orchestrated a terrorist attack on the Moncada military garrison in 1953, Castro’s first of many massacres. The Cuban diaspora continues to honor and celebrate May 20 as their nation’s true independence day.
An anonymous source told the U.S-based outlet Martí Noticias that the Castro regime officials’ tour occurred without the knowledge of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and caused deep unease among the airport’s security personnel, noting that many of the staff are Cuban exiles who fled from the communist regime.
The source claimed that, as part of the tour, the Cuban officials were invited to an “exclusive and modern” area of Miami’s airport that not all employees have access to.
“It is the first time in more than 20 years that I have seen something like this at the airport,” the source said. “The Cuban officers were taken to the south terminal, a new terminal where the TSA robots are. It is very modern and not everyone can go there.”
“In order to get in there, they have to do an investigation on each officer,” the source added. “How are you going to bring in these people who are spies for the Cuban regime and also on May 20?”
While the source did not elaborate on the technological details and features of the areas visited, he or she asserted that the visit endangered the safety of the passengers.
“They are officials from a terrorist country, an ally of our enemies, of China, of Russia, of Iran,” the source said. “Who would think of inviting those people to see the most advanced of our technology?”
Mayor of the Miami-Dade County Daniella Levine Cava released a statement on social media on Monday in which she expressed shock over the Cuban delegation’s visit to the airport.
She said:
The decision to allow Cuban officials to tour secure areas at MIA was made without the knowledge of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, and took place on Cuban Independence Day – a day that we reaffirm our commitment to freedom and democracy in Cuba in the face of a brutal dictatorship.
My office has directly contacted the Department of Homeland Security to understand how this decision was made, and to request that the County and MDAD be included in any future decisions regarding granting access to MIA facilities to foreign government officials.
Miami-Dade County stands firmly with the Cuban people here in our community and on the island as they continue the fight to bring freedom to Cuba, and we are committed to ensuring the safety of our community and all those who travel through MIA.
The TSA denied that Cuban officials had access to sensitive technology in a statement sent to Martí Noticias and other media outlets.
“The Cuban officials did not have access to sensitive technology or systems,” the TSA statement read. “They received an overview of TSA security operations, including equipment that anyone screened at the checkpoint can see, which demonstrates best practices in civil aviation security, for Cuba to consider implementing similar measures with similar systems.”
“TSA officials at Miami International Airport also welcomed dignitaries from Antigua, Barbados, Spain and Brazil on similar visits recently,” the statement continued.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) also condemned the visit, stating that “only under the Biden administration would they allow a terrorist regime into our secure facilities at one of the busiest airports in America.”
Sen. Rubio added that he had asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security “why they would be so oblivious.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) published a video in which he held the Biden administration accountable for the “shameful and dangerous” decision to allow the Cuban officials access to TSA’s facilities at the Miami airport.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera reportedly described the Cuban communist officials’ visit as an “incredibly reckless act” and asserted that the situation is “yet another example of an insensitive administration being manipulated by Cuban communists for a propaganda victory.”
“The administration’s decision not only endangers all Americans and disrespects those who defend us, but also serves as a slap in the face to all Cubans suffering under a tyrannical and criminal communist regime. Simply unacceptable!” Cabrera said.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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