A congressman whose district is within 100 miles of Cuba has sounded the alarm after a shocking investigation revealed images of sophisticated spy bases in the communist country.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said in an interview Wednesday there’s no question that China plays a major role in building and operating the base.
Jimenez is a bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) China’s official activities are “still[s] It is shrouded in secrecy.”
Jimenez expressed concerns about counterintelligence, noting that his district alone includes Naval Air Station Key West and Homestead Air Force Base, and is within a mile of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
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This satellite image shows the Bejucal signals intelligence facility in Cuba. (CSIS/Hidden Reach/Maxar 2024)
“[This] This is another example of the growing influence of China and Russia in our hemisphere,” Jimenez said.
“The Biden Administration will continue to appease our Western Hemisphere enemies. [nonviolent] “It’s regime change,” he said.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) said Biden’s “weakness” was the Chinese Communist Party’s expanding influence overseas.
“The United States must respond forcefully and send a message to the Cuban regime that we will not allow a new Cold War to begin on our doorstep,” Salazar said.
Jimenez said at least one of the locations CSIS has mapped is within 100 miles of his jurisdiction. He said it’s like having a spy base watching Miami from the opposite end of Alligator Alley in Naples.
He blasted the White House for continuing the Obama-era diplomatic “opening” to Cuba’s totalitarian regime.
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This satellite image shows El Salao’s antenna array, arranged in a circle. (CSIS/Hidden Reach/Airbus DS 2024)
But Gimenez added that some Democrats, particularly in Florida, are similarly concerned about China’s malign influence in Cuba and the Díaz-Canel regime itself, naming Reps. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Frederica Wilson.
He warned that China could use bases in Cuba to observe U.S. military offshore training and simulation exercises, which he said would give China an inside look at how the United States would respond to an invasion of Taiwan.
CSIS’ Hidden Reach Researchers In their report, Matthew Funaior, Aidan Powers Riggs, Brian Hart, Henry Ziemer, Joseph Bermudez Jr., Ryan Berg and Christopher Hernandez Roy warned about the proximity of these bases to numerous sensitive U.S. military facilities in Florida and the Southeast.
The researchers announced on Monday Four websites launched This is believed to be aiding Chinese efforts to spy on the United States using signals intelligence (SIGINT), which CSIS defines as a “core” aspect of espionage, where civilian and military organizations can eavesdrop on the communications of others.
A top national security expert said China is expanding into areas such as Cuba to interfere in the U.S. sphere of influence.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s recent actions are unprecedented and the Biden Administration has so far failed to respond. It will be the next president’s responsibility to keep American people safe in the Western Hemisphere at home,” said former Vice President for National Security Victoria Coats.
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This satellite image shows the Calabazar signals intelligence facility in Cuba. (CSIS/Hidden Reach/Maxar 2024)
Coats said China was simultaneously meddling in America’s backyard through its new Bahamian embassy in Nassau and a deepwater “megaport” in Peru.
Jimenez, the only Cuban-born lawmaker, said he was hopeful that Cuba could free itself from Chinese and Russian influence.
Asked how long it might take to see real change in Havana, Jimenez pointed to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and how Germany quickly returned to democracy.
He said the Republican senator’s past work on the Cuba situation indicates changes could occur during his next term if former President Trump returns to the White House in 2025.
Meanwhile, he has accused the Biden administration of repeatedly acting “against American interests.”
“This secretary of state is the worst secretary of state in the history of the United States. I think he’s done more damage than anybody in the last four years that I can remember,” he said.
This satellite image shows the Wajei signals intelligence site in Cuba. (CSIS/Hidden Reach/Maxar 2024)
The State Department did not directly address Jimenez’s criticism of Blinken but cited spokesman Vedant Patel’s comments about the base itself.
“I’m not going to comment on or confirm or go into any detail about this report, but what I can say is that we remain confident that the United States can deliver on its security commitments domestically and in the region,” Patel said on Tuesday.
“Chinese activity in Cuba has been going on for decades, and we know that China will continue to seek to increase its presence in Cuba and that the United States will continue to try to stop it.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, echoed his concerns about the White House’s response to the China threat when asked about the photo.
“[China] “They will continue to expand their espionage activities against the United States without fear of consequences because they know Joe Biden will not hold them accountable,” Marshall said.
“Not only are they using Cuba as a base for a Chinese spy base, but they are also sending Chinese nationals through our southern border to smuggle deadly fentanyl, steal our intellectual property, and buy land near military bases.”
The office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declined to comment, and the White House did not respond.
Several Democratic lawmakers also did not respond to requests for comment.
