Rubio Urges Cubans to Partner With CIA to Bring Change to Communist Country

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a direct appeal to Cubans on Friday, encouraging them to partner with the CIA if they want to see change in the communist country.

“To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time,” Rubio said in an Oct. 23 post on X. “The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.”

The CIA followed up Rubio’s post on the same platform with the same message in Spanish and included instructions on how to contact the agency. It urged Cubans to use non-personal devices and VPNs.

Cuban-born Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.) said in a post on X that the Cuban regime must be “relegated to the ash heap of history.”

U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at a new American intervention in Cuba, potentially with military force, as he addressed supporters at a midterm campaign rally in Florida on Oct. 23.

He made the comments about Cuba after touting investments in the U.S. military and in military operations this year in Venezuela and Cuba.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will tell you that we have the best equipment,” Trump said, before appearing to respond to comments about Cuba from someone in the crowd. “He wants to know ‘what about Cuba?’ Give me a break. Give me a break. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran.”

Cuban Deputy FM Carlos Fernández de Cossío mocked Rubio’s direct bid to the island.

“Now the U.S. is resorting to public recruitment campaigns for the CIA,” he said in an Oct. 23 post on X. “There must be a lot of desperation or a serious lack of resources within the agency if it has to market its offers like toothpaste.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced earlier this month that state authorities had secured an arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro Ruz.

Castro was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue over international waters.

“The Castro regime’s spies operated in our communities, fed intelligence to Havana, and helped put civilian pilots in the crosshairs of Cuban MiGs,” Uthmeier said. “Thirty years later, we are still fighting for justice for Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr.”

Castro, then minister of the Cuban armed forces and first vice president of Cuba, was a final decision-maker in the chain of command that authorized the shootdown, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit stated that Castro gave senior military leaders standing orders that said, “Fine, shoot them down at sea when they show up, and those who have the authority are not to consult anyone.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described the arrest warrant against Castro as a “disgraceful act” with no legal, ethical, or practical value, during a press conference on Oct. 21, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

Trump issued an executive order in January that said the government of Cuba had “taken extraordinary actions that harm and threaten the United States.”

It said that the regime aligns itself with, and provides support for, numerous hostile countries and organizations, including Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

It noted that Cuba hosts Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility and also continues to build deep intelligence and defense cooperation with the Chinese communist regime.

Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.