Four months after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump made another move in Latin America. On May 20, the United States unsealed an indictment of former Cuban president Raúl Castro and five co-defendants in a Brothers to the Rescue operation gone awry in 1996.
Castro faces seven charges, including four counts of murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and destruction of aircraft. He is the younger brother of former Cuban president Fidel Castro. In 1959, the younger Castro assumed the role of secretary of defense. He held that post until he was named president of Cuba, serving from 2008 to 2018. Cubans regard him as the leader of the Cuban Revolution.
In 1996, Castro ordered pilots to begin training operations to identify and intercept civilian aircraft. This directive limited the number of Cuban nationals allowed to leave the regime. Brothers to the Rescue (B.T.T.R.), an American humanitarian organization, organized aircraft to fly Cuban citizens into the United States.
On Feb. 24 of that year, three jets under Castro’s command fired air-to-air missiles at Cessna aircraft operated by B.T.T.R., killing four U.S. nationals outside of Cuban airspace.
Republican reactions
Florida republicans have praised President Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche for making a swift decision on Castro’s fate. In a press conference at the U.S. Capitol delegates to Washington D.C. called the day “glorious.”
President Trump sees the indictment as a notch under his belt.
“Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something… it looks like I’ll be the one who does it. So, I would be happy to do it,” said the president in an event at the Oval Office.
Republicans see the indictment as one event in a series that they hope leads to prosperity in Latin America.
“First it’s Venezuela, then it’s Cuba… hopefully after that it’ll be (Daniel) Ortega (President of Nicaragua),” Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said after a press conference in the U.S. Capitol on May 20.
America first
House Republicans believe that President Trump’s presence in the White House sets a new direction in international politics, devoid of dictators.
“I would love for them (the Castro family) to die in jail,” said Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) in a message to the Castro family. “There is a new sheriff in town and that sheriff is Donald Trump. He is going to be able to do what no other president [has been able] to do with Cuba… which is to make it a friendly country for the benefit not only to Cubans but to the United States.”
The indictment also aims to steer Cuba into an alliance with the U.S.
“It’s a clear message from the Trump Administration that we are laser focused on the Western Hemisphere and we will not tolerate dictatorships in our hemisphere, that we will be fighting for the people,” said Representative Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) of Miami, a Cuban native, at the aforementioned press conference.
Cuban reactions
Despite the U.S. government’s indictment of Castro, both the people of Cuba and its government stand in solidarity with him.
“This spurious indictment against the leader of the Cuban Revolution sums up desperate attempts of anti-Cuban elements to construct a false narrative in an effort to justify ruthless sanctions against the noble Cuba,” said the Cuban government.
Congressman Rob Menendez (D-NJ), a man of Cuban descent, stands against the Trump administration’s decision to indict Castro. While he wishes for Cuba to escape oppression, he doesn’t align himself with the White House.
“At the same time, I have concerns about what the Trump Administration may do next, and I do not believe that these charges should be used to justify an attempt at regime change by the Trump Administration akin to what we saw happen in Venezuela,” he said.
Whether the GOP finds success in establishing a democratic Western Hemisphere is still to be seen.
