Drug Routes, Spy Stations, Narco-Terror, Hezbollah, Hamas: Why Reinstating Cuba’s Terror Sponsor Label Is Correct

 Had Biden’s executive order remained in place, it would have undermined U.S. national security & emboldened dictators worldwide

The re-designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism is not just warranted—it is a vital safeguard for U.S. national security. For decades, the Cuban regime has provided logistical and material support to terrorist organizations, harbored fugitives, and engaged in destabilizing activities that directly threaten American interests. Although President Barack Obama rescinded this designation in 2015, the overwhelming evidence of Cuba’s continued involvement in terror-related activities led President Donald Trump to reinstate it in January 2021. Yet, in a behind-the-scenes diplomatic deal brokered by the Vatican, the Biden administration removed Cuba from the list on January 14, 2025, in exchange for the Cuban regime’s announcement that it would conditionally release 533 political prisoners—only for the decision to be swiftly reversed shortly thereafter by President Donald Trump in his first executive order of his new term.

The reinstatement of Cuba’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation is not only justified—it is essential for exposing the regime’s decades-long ties to terrorist organizations and addressing its ongoing threat to U.S. national security. With this decision, the U.S. reimposed critical sanctions on military-controlled entities, cutting off the financial lifelines the regime depends on to suppress internal dissent and extend its authoritarian reach abroad.

Official denials aside, all evidence points to a negotiation between the Biden administration and the Cuban regime. The near-simultaneous timing of their announcements reveals a calculated political deal. Under the guise of benevolent gestures to the Vatican, Havana once again exploits the suffering of Cubans imprisoned for exercising fundamental human rights—totaling around 1,161, more than half of those included in the announced excarcerations—using political prisoners as bargaining chips, as it has done throughout its history.

While 166 political prisoners were excarcerated, further releases were halted after President Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Yet, not a single one was truly freed. Instead, they remain muted under the constant threat of re-imprisonment if they speak out, engage in activism, or violate Cuba’s socialist legality. Figures like José Daniel Ferrer now endure conditions akin to forced house arrest, while their supporters face persistent intimidation.

Had Biden’s executive order remained in place, it would have undermined U.S. national security and emboldened dictators worldwide to weaponize political prisoners, threatening international law, security, and human rights.

Historical evidence overwhelmingly supports this classification. For more than six decades, Cuba has provided direct support to terrorist organizations across the Americas and other continents, including offering safe haven to leaders of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN)—once a communist guerrilla group turned into a narco-terrorist organization of 6,000 members involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion.

In 2019, after the ELN carried out a deadly bombing at a police academy in Bogotá, killing 22 cadets, Cuba refused Colombia’s request to extradite ELN negotiators, citing diplomatic protocols related to the peace talks while continuing to shelter them. Meanwhile, as ELN leaders remained in Cuba, the terrorist organization—as corroborated by numerous reports from human rights organizations—continued its operations in Colombia, carrying out kidnappings, murders, sexual violence, drug trafficking, and forced displacement in both Colombian and Venezuelan territory.

The argument for removing Cuba from the terrorism list overlooks the severe human cost of the groups it supports. Since mid-January 2025, the ELN launched an offensive against FARC dissidents in Catatumbo, a key cocaine hub near the Venezuelan border, which has resulted in over 90 Colombian officers and 80 civilians killed and tens of thousands displaced.

President Gustavo Petro, who once advocated for removing Cuba from the terrorism list and lifted arrest warrants for ELN leaders, now accuses the group of committing war crimes. Aligning with the president, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office announced on January 22 that it had reactivated international arrest warrants for 31 ELN leaders, including some who had been sheltered in Cuba at various times, further strengthening the justification for re-designating Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

Cuba not only harbors U.S. fugitives like Assata Shakur and William Morales—both responsible for acts of terrorism—but also treats intelligence as a commodity. Its extensive spy network operates abroad, while several electronic eavesdropping stations on Cuban soil—believed to be linked to Russia and China—serve as hubs for intelligence gathering. Havana then trades this intelligence for financial gain, including with adversarial regimes such as Iran.

Given its long-standing cooperation with hostile states, it is reasonable to assume that Cuba also shares intelligence with terrorist groups aligned with its geopolitical allies in exchange for strategic or financial benefits.

Moreover, Cuba maintains direct communication with terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas, providing diplomatic and logistical support. Its alignment with terrorist-affiliated regimes was evident in its response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when the Cuban regime refused to condemn the assault. Instead, it issued an ambiguous statement lamenting the escalation of violence, condemning Israel’s presence in Palestinian territories, and deliberately overlooking the kidnappings, torture, and brutal crimes committed against civilians.

This collaboration was further highlighted in June 2023 when Cuba honored Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, with a bust at the University of Havana. Soleimani, responsible for orchestrating militias in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, was celebrated at the event attended by Lis Cuesta, wife of Cuban President Díaz-Canel, and the university’s dean. Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iran’s former president, falsely hailed him as a defender of global security, obscuring his role in terrorism, while the ceremony encouraged Cuban students to admire an international terrorist.

The Cuban regime’s critical role in bolstering Venezuela’s Maduro regime further highlights its destabilizing influence. Accused of crimes against humanity and selling passports to Hezbollah operatives, the Maduro regime has been propped up by Cuba’s restructuring of its military and counterintelligence apparatus, as detailed in a 2022 UN Fact-Finding Mission. By exporting its totalitarian control model, Cuba has helped Maduro maintain power through repression, solidifying its status as a sponsor of terrorism.

The Trump administration’s reinstatement of sanctions on entities controlled by GAESA, Cuba’s military conglomerate, reintroduced a maximum-pressure policy, rejecting engagement strategies that bolstered autocracies. Between 2021 and 2023, GAESA diverted 36% of Cuba’s GDP to tourism, neglecting essential services and worsening poverty, which forced nearly 1 million Cubans to flee. Leaked documents revealed that GAVIOTA, a GAESA subsidiary, held $4.3 billion in offshore accounts, likely used to fund lobbying and destabilization efforts, while the regime claimed it needed $339 million annually for food and medicine. Easing sanctions would have only reinforced authoritarian control and repression.

Amid these developments, two things remain clear: All Cuban political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the Cuban regime must remain on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. The first should have nothing to do with the second. History shows that concessions to regimes like Cuba reinforce their repressive grip. While maximum pressure may cause them to entrench further, it cuts off resources needed to suppress dissent, export authoritarianism, and support terrorism. To curb their influence, advance freedom, and secure U.S. interests, this policy must continue beyond a single administration, as dictatorships often outlast democratic pressures by waiting for policy shifts.

Michael Lima is a researcher and director of Democratic Spaces, a human rights NGO.

https://www.thebureau.news/p/drug-routes-spy-stations-narco-terror?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1444443&post_id=156236737&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=rd3ao&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email