Salazar, Díaz-Balart, Giménez, and Malliotakis Call for Indictment of Raúl Castro
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar joined Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez, and Nicole Malliotakis in sending a letter to President Donald J. Trump urging the Department of Justice to formally reopen the criminal investigation into Raúl Castro’s role in the 1996 state-sponsored shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft and to consider pursuing charges, including potential Interpol “red notices,” against Castro and other Cuban regime officials involved in ordering and carrying out the attack.
In the letter, the Members ask the Department to review previously compiled evidence, take a fresh look at command responsibility at the highest levels of the Cuban regime, and use every available legal tool to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of three American citizens and one U.S. permanent resident.
“For decades, Raúl Castro and the regime officials who ordered this vile attack have hidden behind the protection of a brutal dictatorship, escaping justice while the families of the victims were left to carry the pain alone. Now we have a real chance to correct this historic injustice," said Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar. "We are calling on the Department of Justice to reopen the case, follow the evidence all the way to the top, and use every legal tool available, including international arrest notices, to hold those responsible for the murder of Americans accountable. This was a regime-sponsored military operation approved at the highest levels. The evidence is clear, the responsibility is undeniable, and the era of impunity must end.”
“President Trump is a strong ally and a symbol of hope for the brave activists struggling for democracy, while also standing firm against the ruthless dictators that oppress them,” said Rep. Diaz-Balart. “Raul Castro has been at the center of the Cuban regime’s crimes for nearly seven decades. February 24 will mark thirty years since the heinous shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft in international waters by the Cuban military, under the command of then-Defense Minister Raul Castro. This resulted in the murders of four innocent humanitarians – three American citizens and one U.S. resident.
“For nearly three decades, the Castro regime has evaded justice for the cold-blooded murder of Americans in the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown, shot out of the sky while carrying out a humanitarian mission. The evidence is overwhelming, the chain of command is clear, and responsibility leads directly to Raúl Castro. America First means defending our citizens, confronting tyranny in our hemisphere, and ending decades of impunity. The time has come for the Department of Justice to act and hold Raúl Castro accountable for the murder of innocent Americans,” said Rep. Carlos Giménez.
"For thirty years, the Castro regime has gotten away with the cold-blooded murder of American citizens, and it is long past time to hold Raúl Castro accountable for this heinous crime. I urge the Administration to reopen this case and deliver the justice the victims' families have been denied for far too long,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
The Members also commended the President’s leadership in restoring security, freedom, and justice to U.S. foreign policy, particularly his renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere, and underscored their belief that Raúl Castro is responsible for this heinous crime and that it is time to bring him to justice.
The letter was also copied to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Background:
Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based humanitarian organization founded to locate and assist Cuban rafters fleeing the Castro dictatorship. By 1996, its flights had become a visible symbol of resistance to the regime and support for those escaping repression.
On February 24, 1996, Cuban military MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the group over international waters in the Florida Straits, killing three American citizens and one U.S. permanent resident. The attack was widely condemned, including by the United Nations Security Council, and the International Civil Aviation Organization later confirmed the planes were unarmed and outside Cuban airspace at the time.
In the years that followed, a U.S. District Court found Cuba liable for planning the operation. A federal jury convicted Cuban intelligence agent Gerardo Hernández of conspiracy to commit murder for facilitating the attack, and a U.S. grand jury indicted the Cuban pilots and their commanding general. Congress also strengthened sanctions by enacting the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.
Despite evidence indicating the decision to use lethal force moved through the regime’s military chain of command at a time when Raúl Castro served as Defense Minister and oversaw the armed forces, no senior regime official was ever indicted. Nearly thirty years later, those who authorized the state-sponsored killing remain unaccountable.