A State Department report accuses Cuba of waging a decades-long covert campaign to infiltrate the United States through espionage and ideological influence, alleging Havana has cultivated a network of spies, activists, and academic relationships to undermine U.S. interests and spread communist ideology.
The 100-page report contends that Cuba's efforts have reached far beyond traditional espionage, with the regime allegedly supporting far-left extremist groups in the United States, fomenting protests, and fostering violent activity. According to the report, Cuban agents have infiltrated top levels of U.S. government, including the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Pentagon, over nearly seven decades.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the report aims to expose Havana's sustained campaign against the United States, describing Cuba as the "capital of 21st century communism." The report asserts that for more than sixty years, the Cuban regime has been a primary sponsor of radical leftism and Third Worldism within the U.S.
Cuba's foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, dismissed the report as political propaganda and a "fallacy," accusing the Trump administration of creating a pretext to continue economic sanctions against the island. He alleged that a specific U.S. politician from South Florida was orchestrating a plan that served narrow interests.
Historical Connections and Ideological Spread
The report details how Havana allegedly cultivated ties with American revolutionary and activist groups, citing historical examples such as the Weather Underground, the Black Panthers, the Black Liberation Army, and Puerto Rican militant organizations. It claims this network evolved to include connections with groups like Antifa, anti-ICE organizations, socialist groups, and left-wing nonprofits. The report argues that Cuba's influence campaign has been more effective through ideological and political organizing than military force, establishing an international network of activists, academics, and political organizations that perpetuated its revolutionary ideology even after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Key espionage cases highlighted in the report include convicted spies Victor Manuel Rocha, Ana Belén Montes, and Walter Kendall Myers, as well as members of the Wasp Network. Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson is quoted in the report, calling Cuba's intelligence service "probably the most aggravating intelligence service I've ever worked against" and warning of deep penetration into the U.S. government.
University Recruitment and International Ties
The report also identifies American colleges and universities as alleged recruitment grounds for Cuban intelligence, suggesting that politically sympathetic students were identified for future influential positions in government or the private sector. Partnerships between the University of Havana and numerous U.S. universities are presented as examples of these long-term influence efforts.
Furthermore, the report revisits Cuba's historical ties to revolutionary movements across Latin America and alleges that Havana provided sanctuary to American fugitives associated with militant groups. Organizations named in the report for allegedly maintaining pro-Cuba activism in the United States for decades include the Venceremos Brigade, ICAP, the National Network on Cuba, the Democratic Socialists of America, Code Pink, and the National Lawyers Guild.
The report concludes that Cuba transitioned from a Soviet ally to what it terms "the ideological capital of the modern radical left," increasingly relying on espionage, political organizing, and influence campaigns. This shift represents an evolution from conventional military power to more subtle methods of asserting influence on the global stage. The report suggests that Cuba remains a national security threat, with concerns also raised about China and Russia collecting information around U.S. military bases in Cuba.