Rubio Links Cuban Influence to the Rise of “Radical” Protests in the United States

The U.S. Secretary of State asserts that Havana is part of an organized network to pressure U.S. lawmakers.

“There is nothing spontaneous about this. It is financed. It is organized. And Cuba is part of that network and, in some cases, a crucial part of that network.” / Screenshot

14ymedio biggerEFE (via 14ymedio), Washington, August 2, 2026 / US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Cuba’s influence is, in his opinion, behind the “radical” protests that have taken place in the United States in recent years.

“There is nothing spontaneous about this. It is financed. It is organized. And Cuba is part of that network and, in some cases, a crucial part of that network,” he explained during an interview with Fox News.

Rubio stated that “it is a network that they will use as a weapon against us” and that its members “openly discuss how they will use that network to pressure US lawmakers.”

Rubio affirmed that Cuba, “in matters of espionage and influence operations, is a true superpower”

The United States’ chief of diplomacy also provided details about the alleged “Cuban influence on the disturbances we saw in 2020, as well as the increase in radical activity.”

Rubio believes that “the same people who were seen in the streets in 2020 then turned the tables and became pro-Hamas protesters.”

“They turned it around again, and within 48 hours of Maduro’s arrest, they already had pre-printed signs outside the courthouse demanding his release. And then they were there against ICE, attacking ICE agents,” he added, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“If we analyze the history of espionage in the United States, Cuba is the only country that has managed to infiltrate and maintain spies in our system consistently, even without paying them.”

Rubio, born in Miami and the son of two Cuban immigrants, explained that Cuba, “in terms of espionage and influence operations, is a true superpower.”

“If we analyze the history of espionage in the United States, Cuba is the only country that has managed to infiltrate and maintain spies in our system consistently, even without paying them,” he asserted.

This is not the first time Rubio has pointed to the Cuban government as responsible for some agitation in the United States.

Last July 16, the Secretary of State indicated that the regime on the Island “contributed to forging the extreme left” in the United States and on the continent, during the inaugural speech of the Ministerial Meeting on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, held in Washington.

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