President Donald Trump has broken his silence over the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
Trump on Wednesday, May 20, called Castro’s indictment a “very important day” for Cuban-Americans and exiles who fled the communist island after decades of political repression and economic hardship.
Speaking after the Justice Department unsealed charges against the 94-year-old former Cuban leader, the president framed the move as both a legal and symbolic victory for the Cuban exile community, particularly in South Florida.
“I think the Cuban population of Miami and certainly beyond Miami, people that came there that were decimated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today,” Trump said.
“So we have Cuba on our mind. Very important. A lot of problem for a lot of years.”
Trump hails Raul Castro indictment
President Trump also linked the indictment to the strong political support he has long received from Cuban-American voters in Florida.
“I think it’s a very big day, very important day,” he said. “They supported me to the nth degree. They supported me at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.”
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The remarks came shortly after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal charges against Castro tied to the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
The indictment accuses Castro of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft, and murder stemming from the February 24, 1996, attack that killed four men, including three American citizens.
According to prosecutors, the civilian planes were flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue. This volunteer organisation conducted search-and-rescue missions for Cuban migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings from Cuba to Florida.
Federal prosecutors allege the Cuban government launched a covert operation known as “Operation Escorpion” after becoming increasingly frustrated with the organization’s anti-Castro activism and support for Cuban dissidents.
Court documents claim Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the group and fed operational details back to Havana, with military officials allegedly concluding that shooting down the aircraft would intimidate the broader Cuban exile community in the United States.
The indictment further alleges that in January 1996, Raúl Castro personally approved the use of deadly force against Brothers to the Rescue flights.
“Every order to kill by the Cuban military was run through Castro and his brother Fidel,” prosecutors alleged in the filing.
DOJ speaks on indictment
The Justice Department says the planes were unarmed civilian Cessna aircraft operating in or near international airspace when Cuban fighter jets shot them down.
For many Cuban exiles in Miami, the indictment represents a long-awaited moment of accountability nearly three decades after the attack.
Former Brothers to the Rescue pilot Reinaldo Martin, who lost close friends in the shootdown, reacted emotionally after the charges were announced.
“Finally,” Martin shouted while listening to Blanche’s press conference. “We were in international waters. They had no right to come out and shoot us down the way he did,” he said.
Martin described the victims as “humanitarians who had big hearts,” adding that Castro “should have been in jail 30 years ago.”
The indictment, however, has sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Havana. Current Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the charges as “a political maneuver without any legal basis” and accused the United States of trying to justify aggression against Cuba.
“The purported accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz merely exposes the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel because of the Cuban Revolution’s unwavering steadfastness,” Díaz-Canel wrote on X.
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Cuban officials insist the 1996 shootdown was an act of self-defense after repeated violations of Cuban airspace by what Havana described as hostile anti-government activists.
“On February 24, 1996, Cuba acted in legitimate self-defense,” Díaz-Canel said, accusing the United States of ignoring repeated warnings from Havana before the incident.
The Trump administration has increasingly portrayed Cuba as a national security threat while tightening pressure on the island nation, which is simultaneously grappling with severe economic collapse and an energy crisis worsened by disruptions involving Venezuela, one of Havana’s closest allies.
American carrier strike group arrives in the Caribbean
Hours after the indictment was unsealed, the U.S. military publicly confirmed the arrival of the USS Nimitz carrier strike group in the Caribbean, fueling speculation about broader American strategic messaging toward Cuba.
United States Southern Command described the deployment as demonstrating “readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage.”
The timing has intensified fears in Havana that the indictment could serve as groundwork for more aggressive U.S. action.
CNN reported that Cuban officials privately viewed the charges as potentially analogous to the U.S. operation earlier this year that resulted in the capture and transfer of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to the United States for trial.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers from Florida celebrated the indictment as a breakthrough after decades of failed efforts to hold Cuba’s leadership accountable.
Senator Ashley Moody criticized previous administrations for attempting to “coddle” Cuba “into freedom.”
“This administration took the bold step of actually bringing accountability,” Moody said. “So we thank President Trump for being brave and bringing justice for these four men, for their families, and indeed for freedom.”
Blanche rejected suggestions that the indictment was merely symbolic or politically theatrical.
