The United States is expected to face a worsening migration crisis from Cuba as the communist-run island nation heads toward a “systemic meltdown,” according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday.
Cubans have been struggling amid a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis driven by a severe fuel and electricity crisis, outdated infrastructure, and limited access to global markets.
“They haven’t spent a penny in fixing their energy production, their electrical grid. They don’t spend any money on that stuff, they pocket it,” Rubio said Thursday.
Recently, tensions between Washington and Havana have intensified due to fresh U.S. sanctions, the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, dispute over fuel supplies, and growing fears of instability or regime change.
He pointed out that Raúl Castro founded a company called GAESA more than thirty years ago. The company, owned and operated by its military, has revenues three times greater than the budget of the current government. Those elites, Rubio said, have $18 billion dollars in assets and control 70 percent of Cuba’s economy, while none of their profits reach the Cuban people.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has also said the United States wants Cubans not to have to leave their home country to be successful.
He has also identified the Cuban government as a threat due to its alliance with adversaries such as Russia, China, and Venezuela.
“The future of Cuba belongs to the people of Cuba, but the national security threat is 100% something we're going to focus on — because that's about America,” Rubio said.
President Donald Trump said he’s ready to open a “new chapter” with Cubans, and Rubio pointed out that their government is the only thing standing in the way of a better future for them.
Rubio on Thursday stated that the United States continues to actively engage with Cuban officials, while Trump reassured there would be “no escalation” expected with Cuba.