(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A delegation of the U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus, also known as the “Squad,” traveled last week to communist Cuba, with the trip neither being disclosed by the legislators nor reported in Cuban state media.
About a dozen people who were led by U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D–Wash., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., according to Miami Herald. A congressional staffer from the office of Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., also traveled to Cuba.
The communist-loving politicians of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is comprised of more than 100 lawmakers and chaired by Jayapal, confirmed the trip after the news about them traveling to a dictatorial country was revealed.
“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” a Caucus spokesperson said.
The news about the trip was not very surprising, since Democrats, generally speaking, and the members of the “Squad,” in particular, expressed their support of the communist nation before.
Jayapal and Omar, for example, have always been very vocal critics of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and have supported bills to normalize relations with the communist government, the news source reported.
The politicians were among the 40 Democrats who voted against a symbolic resolution that would support peaceful demonstrators who protested against the Cuban government in July 2021 and “[call] for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.”
In addition to that, Jayapal urged the Biden administration back in January 2024 to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism, a decision that was made in the last days of Donald Trump’s time in office that Jayapal said had “devastated” Cuba’s economy.
“Being on this list has made it nearly impossible for Cuba to do international business, driving an economic downturn that has led residents to flee the country. It’s time to re-engage with Cuba,” she said.
One of the other things about the trip was that Cuban official media usually highlighted American politicians who were going to the island, framing their visit as a gesture of “solidarity” with the people of Cuba or support for ending the U.S. embargo. However, the state media was silent this time, as well as Cuba’s Foreign Ministry.
