The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday explained to Congress its decision to allow members of Cuba’s communist Castro regime, which the United States has designated a state sponsor of terrorism, to visit U.S. airport facilities in May.
TSA (Transportation Security Administration) host On May 20, senior Castro government officials toured Miami International Airport for five hours and were reportedly allowed access to the airport’s high-security areas, where the TSA’s most sensitive security computer systems are located.
The airport and Miami-Dade County commissioners condemned the tour, saying they were unaware of the TSA-sponsored visit by Cuban officials. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava Announced She said she met with TSA officials in May and they apologized for the incident.
The date of the visit also drew immediate condemnation from the Cuban diaspora living in the United States, as May 20 is Cuba’s true Independence Day. The Castro regime, which has ruled Cuba for more than 60 years, has violently thwarted attempts by Cubans on the island to freely celebrate the national holiday. Exchange Date July 26 — the anniversary of the 1953 terrorist attack on the Moncada military camp by the late communist dictator Fidel Castro.
Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, Committee on Homeland Security, United States Congress held One Hearing On Tuesday, he will discuss TSA’s international operations and interactions with hostile foreign governments, particularly Cuba.
The chairman of the committee, Congressman Carlos Jimenez (R-FL), recalled that May 20 is an important date for the Cuban people and said that the visit by Castro officials on May 20 “is an insult to Cuban-Americans across the country and demonstrates the Biden administration’s soft stance towards Cuba.” Jimenez stressed that “strict precautions must be taken when negotiating with the communist Cuban regime.”
Cuba is one of the greatest counterintelligence and national security threats to the United States. Just 90 miles from the Florida Keys, part of the district I represent, this administration is aggressively moving to deepen ties with our adversary by allowing military activity by China. Spy Base By conducting joint military exercises with Russian warships.
He continued:
Additionally, Cuban intelligence actively recruited spies from U.S. federal agencies, and operatives such as Victor Manuel Rocha, Kendall Myers, and Ana Belen Montes have passed classified information to Cuba for decades. The information they shared with Cuba led to the deaths of countless Cubans who opposed the Castro regime, as well as U.S. soldiers serving around the world.
Additionally, our diplomats in Havana are suffering from extraordinary health consequences, including brain damage and long-term disabilities, that appear to be the result of foreign intelligence services using microwave technology to target our diplomats.
Jimenez criticized the vetting process for Cuban officials after Melanie Harvey, executive assistant secretary for security operations at the Transportation Security Administration, explained that the process uses information provided by the Castro regime.
“We conduct background checks using passport information sent to us by foreign governments, regardless of country of origin,” Harvey explained.
🚨News —> Did you know @TSA Do we use information provided by state sponsors of terror to “screen” agents of state sponsors of terror?
How insane and reckless is that?
Biden Administration’s Concessions to the Castro Regime #Cuba It continues to put America at risk. pic.twitter.com/HVrDgqwTJe
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) July 9, 2024
TSA officials acknowledged that the agency could have worked more effectively with officials at Miami International Airport and local officials in Miami-Dade County during the visit.
“TSA is willing to acknowledge that we could have done better to coordinate with Miami airport and local officials in our recent negotiations with Cuban aviation authorities,” Harvey said. “While Cuba has visited U.S. airports six times since 2011, there was a lack of interaction during this visit. I will do everything in my power to ensure that this never happens again.”
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), another senior member of the committee, defended the visit by Castro officials, saying: state “Approximately 2.4 million passengers traveled between Cuba and the United States over the past year, providing an opportunity for tourism and family reunion that serves as a critical lifeline for many amid Cuba’s current economic and humanitarian challenges.”
“Denying Cuban officials the opportunity to visit U.S. airports endangers the safety of air travelers and ultimately harms the Cuban and American people more than it does the Cuban government,” Thanedar said, noting that visits by Castro regime officials took place under former President Donald Trump’s administration and that there was “no Republican outcry” at the time.
In addition to the TSA’s visit to Castro government officials in May, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reportedly In May, the FAA hosted a second Cuban delegation, allowing them to tour the Miami Air Traffic Control Center. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FAA-sponsored visit was to “discuss the continued safe and efficient movement of aircraft” between Miami and Houston airports and Cuba.
