The Real Cuba News and Commentary

Miami man wins $30M verdict against Expedia over confiscated property in Cuba

23. April 2025 The Editor Cuban Exiles, General (0)

In a first such decision, a Miami federal jury has found that travel booking company Expedia Group ows $29.85 million to a Cuban-American family in damages for having promoted and sold bookings to Floridians at hotels in land confiscated by the Cuban government during the early days of Fidel Castro’s revolution. The case was filed by Mario Echevarría, one of the heirs of a Cuban family that claimed ownership of Cayo Coco, a small key off the northern coast of central Cuba, against Expedia and its affiliate sites Hotels.com and Orbitz under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. It is the first of such lawsuits to reach a jury trial.

Tourists on a Cayo Coco beach in December 2020. EFE EFE/Sipa USA

In a first such decision, a Miami federal jury has found that travel booking company Expedia Group ows $29.85 million to a Cuban-American family in damages for having promoted and sold bookings to Floridians at hotels in land confiscated by the Cuban government during the early days of Fidel Castro’s revolution. The case was filed by Mario Echevarría, one of the heirs of a Cuban family that claimed ownership of Cayo Coco, a small key off the northern coast of central Cuba, against Expedia and its affiliate sites Hotels.com and Orbitz under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. It is the first of such lawsuits to reach a jury trial.

The Helms-Burton Act gives U.S. nationals who hold a claim to property that the Cuban government confiscated without compensation the right to sue companies, American or foreign, who have profited or “trafficked” in such property. From 1996 to 2019, successive U.S. presidents had suspended the Helms-Burton provision, Title III, that provides that legal path. In 2019, President Donald Trump enacted that portion of the act during his first term.

The long pause and several other legal technicalities have complicated the attempts of dozens of U.S. companies and property heirs from prevailing in court. Several other prominent Helms-Burton lawsuits have been turned down on appeal or are headed to the Supreme Court after years of expensive litigation.

But a jury in Florida’s Southern District found last Friday that Expedia and its affiliates didn’t follow the law by promoting tourism to Cuba and by marketing and selling bookings for Cayo Coco’s all-inclusive hotels built in land confiscated from Echevarría’s family in 1960.

“This is a major victory not only for our client, but also for the broader community of Cuban-Americans whose property was wrongfully taken and has been exploited by U.S. companies in partnership with the Cuban communist dictatorship,” attorney Andrés Rivero said. “We are proud to have played a role in securing justice under a law that had never before been tested before a jury.”

The verdict comes six years after Echevarría first notified Expedia that the family was planning to sue in August 2019.

After a two-week trial, the jury found that Echevarría had a 12,5% ownership interest in Cayo Coco and awarded $9,950,000 in damages. The jury also decided to triple the amount the companies must pay because Expedia and its affiliates continued promoting hotels in Cayo Coco after being notified of the potential lawsuit. It is yet unclear if each company would have to pay $30 million separately, and the judge presiding over the case, Federico A. Moreno, has ordered further proceedings.

The travel booking companies have until July to challenge the verdict, Moreno wrote.

Santosh Aravind, a lawyer representing the travel booking companies, told the jury the firms had committed a “mistake,” not an intentional act of “trafficking,” and questioned Echevarría’s inheritance claims on Cayo Coco’s property, Law360 reported. But the jury was unpersuaded.

“We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict, which we do not believe was supported by the law or evidence.,” David Shank, a lawyer representing the companies, told the Miami Herald. “We believe the court was correct to decline immediate entry of judgment and look forward to the court’s consideration of the legal sufficiency of the evidence presented to the jury.”

Read more at: Miami Herald

In Rememberance of the Bay of Pigs invasion

19. April 2025 The Editor Cuban Exiles, General (0)

Bay of Pigs Invasion - Playa Giron
17–20 April 1961; 64 years ago

The Legacy of the Bay of Pigs: Scars on Collective Memory

The Bay of Pigs has left deep scars on the collective memory of both Cubans and Americans. For many Cuban exiles, this defeat symbolizes the lost opportunity to liberate their homeland and the pain of losing loved ones in the process.

The Cuban casualties were hundreds of wounded and 157 dead, whom Cubans remembers as eternal heroes of the homeland for their sacrifice.

The cultural and political impact persists. In Cuba, the victory over the invasion has been celebrated as a triumph of the revolution, while in the United States, it left a legacy of mistrust.

An April 17, 1961 map showing the locations of invading forces. Fidel Castro said one invasion force, apparently the main one, struck in southern part of Las Villas Province (1). Another force was reported ashore at the edge of southern Matanzas Province in Cochinas Bay area (2). Western Pinar Del Rio Province (3) was scene of another reported force. Washington exile forces said another force had landed at Baracoa (4), northeast of Santiago. NBC quoted a Cuban exile spokesman as saying invasion operations were moving ahead favorably in Matanza Province (5), the Santiago area (6), with parachutists dropped on the Isle of Pines (7).




Major Miami donor blasts Cuban-American pols for not confronting Trump on immigration

16. April 2025 The Editor Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (1)

In a scorching letter, Cuban American healthcare billionaire Mike Fernández is urging Cuban American Republican leaders from Miami to stand up to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and speak up or “make room for others who can.” “If you can’t find your voice at this moment, or tell the difference between one dictator and another, then perhaps it is time to make room for others who can and have a vision that you may lack,” Fernández told Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Miami U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez in an open letter. He sent a version of the letter to each of them individually on Monday.


Cuban American businessman and political donor Mike Fernández. Cuban American businessman and political donor Mike Fernández.

In a scorching letter, Cuban American healthcare billionaire Mike Fernández is urging Cuban American Republican leaders from Miami to stand up to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and speak up or “make room for others who can.” “If you can’t find your voice at this moment, or tell the difference between one dictator and another, then perhaps it is time to make room for others who can and have a vision that you may lack,” Fernández told Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Miami U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez in an open letter. He sent a version of the letter to each of them individually on Monday.

View the Mike Fernandez Open Letter

In the letter, Fernández, a deep-pocketed Coral Gables political donor, said Trump has adopted “a posture of cruelty” towards immigrants and accused the four politicians of having betrayed the communities they represent by staying silent. “I know what it means to flee tyranny,” he said. “Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart. But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting President of the United States. “In the face of all of this, the silence from our own leaders — the sons and daughters of exiles — has become deafening,” he added. “That silence is not neutrality, nor ignorance, it is complicity and cowardice… Your silence has caused fear and real harm to many in our community, in your districts.”

Fernández, the chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners and a prolific political donor who has backed both Republican and Democratic candidates, said in the letter that he intends to ask others to join him in speaking out. He told the Miami Herald he is willing to spend his money on the effort. He has already paid for two full-page ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal blasting Trump’s actions and calling on a group of Republican senators to “turn back the tide of tyranny.”

Fernández, a former Republican turned independent, contributed small amounts to both Rubio´s and Salazar’s campaigns in the past. He poured millions into Jeb Bush’s failed presidential campaign in 2016 and was co-finance chairman of former Gov. Rick Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign. Fernández said he thought Cuban American elected leaders and members of the Cabinet like Rubio are afraid to disagree openly with Trump and that he may turn on them. “Our four representatives are just bending the knee to the presidency, because they’re afraid for themselves, they’re afraid for their job,” he told the Herald. “They’re going to be remembered for turning their back on their community. It’s time that we find somebody who fights for what is right, for American values, for this community.”

From left to right, U.S Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez at a change of command ceremony at the U.S. Southern Command on Nov. 7, 2024, in Doral.

Only three months into his second tenure, Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown risks driving a wedge in South Florida, the home of some of the communities most affected so far by the new policies.

Last month, the administration revoked the legal status of about 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the country through a parole program created by the Biden administration and told them to leave or face deportation. A federal has judge halted the administration for now. A similar decision to end Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans has also been put on hold by federal judges. Civil rights organizations are also fighting a decision to end TPS for about half a million Haitians. In recent years, Cuban Americans have turned into a solid Republican voting bloc and many Venezuelans in Doral have also enthusiastically embraced Trump’s MAGA movement. But some Republicans have been quietly signaling disapproval with some of the administration’s policies. Democrats sense an opening in Miami. The Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus paid for a billboard on the Palmetto Expressway bashing as “traitors” to immigrants the same four Miami politicians singled out by Fernandez in his letter. Since January, the face of America has been changing rapidly from a country that welcomed immigrants to one where international students are deported because of their political opinions, Fernandez told the Herald. He said he fears the country will lose its economic competitive edge because of talent lost to the immigration crackdown.

He also fears the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the post-World War II international order will damage the United States’ standing in the world. In his letter, he said that cuts to foreign aid funding efforts to foster political change in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela amount to a “betrayal.” The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Spokespersons for Díaz-Balart and Giménez said the two had not received the letter. Salazar, who has been more vocal about immigration issues and is sponsoring an immigration reform bill, the Dignity Act, pushed back against Fernandez´s letter. “Who else in Congress has taken on BOTH parties to advocate for those who have no papers, no criminal record, but do the jobs others Americans don’t want to do? It’s been only me,” she said. “My whole time in Congress, I have worked across the aisle to fight for my Dignity Act, the only bipartisan immigration reform law in Congress that provides real solutions to our immigration crisis.” In interviews with Hispanic media, Salazar has said she had personally reached out to leaders of the Department of Homeland Security to intervene on behalf of some detained Cuban migrants and “educate” officials on the need to protect Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians fleeing from dictatorships and political turmoil.

“Cubans cannot be returned,” she said in an interview with local television station América TV. “What we need to get rid of is the Cuban regime… The temporary status protections should also be respected.” But she has avoided publicly clashing with the administration on immigration issues, blaming former President Joe Biden instead for the immigrants’ predicament in a posting on X that triggered a wave of criticism. In his letter, Fernández called it “hypocrisy” to revoke deportation protections to people fleeing dictatorships, “just as our families once did. “I’m just embarrassed and ashamed of how our own sons and daughters of immigrants have turned their back on this community,” Fernández told the Herald. “And they can talk all they want to, but actions are very clear to read.”


Source: Miami Herald

Trump's immigration measures in March 2025: end of humanitarian parole and its impact on Cubans

22. March 2025 The Editor Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (2)

The Trump administration canceled humanitarian parole, affecting thousands of Cubans in the U.S. who could face mass deportations by losing their legal status and protection.


In March 2025, the government of President Donald Trump implemented new hardline immigration measures, highlighting the revocation of the humanitarian “parole” created under the Biden administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would terminate the temporary legal status of more than 530,000 migrants (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans). This decision, formalized in a Federal Register notice, will take effect on April 24, 2025 and shortens the two-year permission period that was originally granted to these migrants to reside and work in the U.S. with temporary authorization.

Starting from that date, all beneficiaries will lose their legal status and employment authorization and, according to DHS, “must leave the country before their parole expires or they will face deportation”.

Cancellation of humanitarian parole and Biden's immigration programs

The cancellation also includes the immediate cessation of new entries for this program: pending travel permits and ongoing sponsorship applications will be canceled, as well as work cards issued under this category. The official notice emphasizes that parole is inherently temporary and, on its own, does not provide a basis for obtaining permanent immigration status.

There will be no extensions or re-parole for those who lose their status after expiration. Those without another legal way to stay must leave the United States within 30 days.

This drastic measure is a response to Executive Order 14165 "Securing Our Borders," which instructed the DHS to eliminate categorical parole programs. Since his return to power, Trump has argued that the large-scale parole processes implemented by Joe Biden constituted an abuse of the authority granted by Congress.

Cubans affected: parole beneficiaries, I-220A, I-220B, and asylum applicants

The Cuban community in the U.S. is among the most affected by these measures. Cuba was one of the four countries included in the CHNV program, which means that thousands of Cubans will lose their residency permits following the cancellation of the parole.

According to official data, around 110,900 Cubans entered the U.S. legally under this program between late 2022 and 2024. Many of them fled the severe economic and political crisis in the Island. After a year in the country, they could apply for the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 to obtain permanent residency.

However, thousands have still not completed that process and are now at risk of jeopardizing their legal status. The DHS's decision also halted the processing of pending status adjustment, asylum, or other immigration benefit applications.

In addition to those who arrived by air with parole, tens of thousands of Cubans entered through the southern border during the migration peak from 2021 to 2023 and received conditional release documents, such as forms I-220A or I-220B. It is estimated that about 400,000 Cubans have an I-220A, while many others hold an I-220B. Together, this could mean approximately 600,000 Cubans in this situation.

The I-220A is not a migration permit but rather a form of conditional release within an open deportation process. A court ruling in 2023 established that it does not equate to a parole, thus it does not allow for eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Many of these Cubans can only apply for political asylum, although winning the case is not straightforward.

Possible mass deportation and fear in the Cuban community

Migrant rights organizations and the Cuban community in the U.S. fear that these policies lay the groundwork for mass deportations. By losing their legal protection on April 24, tens of thousands of Cubans could be subject to immediate expulsion.

Expedited deportation allows for the removal of certain migrants without a hearing before a judge. Under new ICE guidelines, even those who entered legally with parole or I-220A may be swiftly deported.

The DHS indicated that it will prioritize the deportation of those who have not initiated any legal proceedings (asylum, adjustment, TPS, etc.) before March 25. This puts thousands of Cubans who have not regularized their status at risk.

Many Cubans have been settling in the U.S. for months or years with jobs, rentals, and families. For them, deportation represents a devastating disruption. Some have already been detained by ICE during routine appointments.

Official, legal, and social reactions

Trump allies and conservative sectors applaud the decision as a step toward restoring the rule of law. They argue that no beneficiary had an acquired right to remain and that the parole was, by definition, temporary.

On the other hand, pro-immigrant organizations, lawyers, and activists describe the measure as reckless and cruel. They have begun campaigns to inform Cubans and provide legal support.

Even Republican politicians like Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar have expressed concern about the impact on Cubans with no criminal records. Local governments are also warning about the economic and social damage.

Meanwhile, thousands of Cuban families live in fear and uncertainty. Many recount how their "American dream" could be abruptly shattered. Some have started campaigns to seek legal support before April 24th.

Sources:
    Reuters
    The Guardian
    AP News / Miami Herald
    CiberCuba
    DHS (U.S. Government)

The State Department under Marco Rubio concluded that 92 programs, which were managed by the International Republican Institute, were not “in the national interest”

10. March 2025 The Editor Cuban Exiles, General (1)

The U.S. State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio abruptly canceled foreign aid programs supporting opposition activists, political prisoners and religious groups in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, after concluding that they were not “in the national interest.” raising concerns about a shift in U.S. foreign policy.


The canceled programs were managed by the International Republican Institute (IRI), a nonprofit organization linked to the ruling party, and were focused on promoting democracy in authoritarian countries, according to a publication from El Nuevo Herald.

The publication states that “all but three of the 95 programs” that the Institute had in these countries were abruptly canceled. The remaining three programs, related to groups in Venezuela, are on hold, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to freeze all foreign aid funds for 90 days.

“The rest of the 175 programs of the Institute worldwide are also in limbo because they rely on funds directly allocated by Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The NED has said it has been unable to access the money,” the article reads.

In the cancellation notices sent by the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), it was stated that the contracts “were not aligned” with the agencies’ priorities and were not “in the national interest.”

“The IRI’s Democratic counterpart, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), is facing a similar challenge. Sources said that about a hundred programs were terminated, and only one program remained in the region, focused on Venezuela,” says the publication.

Most employees of both institutes, the National Endowment for Democracy, and other organizations working with foreign aid programs have been given administrative leave.

A Supreme Court ruling ordered the US government to release part of the funds owed for the work already carried out by some of these organizations and contractors managing foreign aid programs. However, with so many contracts already canceled and staff on leave or dismissed, it is unclear how the government will proceed.

In a Senate hearing on Wednesday, February 26, 2024, regarding the progress of US interests in the Western Hemisphere, Florida Senator Rick Scott echoed current opinions on foreign aid among Trump administration officials in an exchange about how to justify the money spent to taxpayers.

“My problem is that I can’t go to Florida and say, ‘Boy, I’m excited about how much money we spent on foreign aid because something might happen. Let’s see: the Castro regime still controls Cuba, Venezuela just stole another election, Ortega is strengthening himself in Nicaragua,'” said the senator.

The suspension of foreign aid programs for the promotion of democracy in authoritarian countries, a bipartisan US policy maintained for decades, has left many wondering if the Trump Administration has abandoned that objective.

El Nuevo Herald also indicates that the issue was addressed in a call with IRI leaders to warn staff working for the Florida Congressional delegation, home to the largest Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan communities in the US, “that the organization would not survive much longer without funding, probably only a few weeks.”

They add that in the call, the president of the International Republican Institute, Daniel Twining, reportedly said that “cuts to democracy promotion would only benefit dictators in places like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.”

Source: The Miami Herald