Rubio Urges Cubans To Secretly Work With CIA To Oust Regime
Sen. Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking "positive change" to work secretly with the CIA through a "discrete partnership" in a post on X on Friday, October 23, 2026.[1]
The CIA reposted Rubio's message and a Spanish-language appeal, and it published a video explaining how Cubans could contact the agency.[1] President Trump, at a South Florida campaign rally the same day, said U.S. warships returning from the Strait of Hormuz would "take care of Cuba" and mentioned sending Rubio "to finish up the deal." CBS News Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla rejected the threats on X and warned that Cuba's shores are inhospitable to hostile forces.[1]
New U.S. sanctions on Cuba's state-run bank over alleged ties to Iran and long-standing embargo-driven shortages of basic goods and medical care form the immediate context for Rubio's message.[1] The CIA's public sharing of the appeal has sharply increased visibility and could expose would-be collaborators to reprisals.
The episode has injected a new flashpoint into U.S.-Cuba relations as the presidential campaign intensifies, raising the risk of diplomatic and security escalation.
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, October 23, 2026, Marco Rubio posted on X urging Cubans seeking 'positive change' to work with the CIA through a 'discrete partnership.'
- Shortly after Rubio's post, the CIA reposted his message and a similar Spanish-language appeal, along with a video explaining how to contact the agency.
- The article notes recent U.S. sanctions on Cuba's state-run bank for alleged ties to Iran and ongoing embargo-driven shortages of basic goods and medical care in Cuba.
- At a campaign rally in South Florida on Friday, President Trump said U.S. warships returning from the Strait of Hormuz would 'take care of Cuba' and referenced sending Rubio 'to finish up the deal.'
- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla responded on X on Friday, rejecting U.S. threats and warning that Cuba's shores are inhospitable to hostile forces.
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