A Miami Tour
According to reporting by CBS News Miami, federal officials gave Cuban government officials a five-hour tour of the Miami International Airport.
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This tour included various areas of the airport, including what is often considered sensitive areas. This comprised a tour of a baggage screen and security checkpoint area.
Republican Outrage
After this reporting was revealed, many Florida Republicans were outraged to learn what the Department of Homeland Security allowed to happen in their state.
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They have subsequently called on Congress to answer many of these questions about why this tour was allowed.
State Sponsored Terrorism
Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, has been one of the most outspoken lawmakers calling out the federal government for this tour.
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According to Gimenez, this tour never should have happened, as the Cuban government is considered to sponsor terrorism.
Protecting Americans From Terrorism
Gimenez further explained that this tour never should have happened, especially as reporting has suggested that these officials were given access to the airport’s sensitive areas.
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Gimenez said, “You are taking agents from a country which is on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. And you’re showing them our procedures and our equipment and our sensitive areas that protect the American public from terrorism. So how does that make sense?”
Florida’s Cuba Community
Gimenez also pointed out that many Cuban exiles call Florida their home. To him, this tour is a slap in the face to these exiles.
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“You’re taking agents of the Cuban Communist Party and showing them the TSA equipment and procedures at Miami International Airport, where there’s a community of over a million Cuban exiles, that were exiled due to that same regime. It’s a slap in the face of that community,” Gimenez explained.
Cuban Independence Day
Even more worryingly to Gimenez is the fact that this tour occurred on May 20th, Cuban Independence Day.
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Gimenez added, “You’re also doing it on May 20th. May 20th is the equivalent of July 4th here. So it’s Cuban Independence Day, you’re doing it in Miami, and you’re showing it to who? The agents of the regime that have been oppressing the Cuban people for over 60 years.”
A Letter to Mayorkas
This outrage led to many Florida Republican lawmakers sending a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
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Gimenez led this letter, while Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were also included. Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar also signed it.
Another Cuban Tour
In this letter, Republican lawmakers also pointed out that the federal government gave other tours to Cuban officials in the past.
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Tours between the two countries were conducted at the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters last year. A visit to Wilmington, North Carolina had also previously taken place.
Giving Cuba Access To Secure U.S. Areas
According to these lawmakers’ letter, federal U.S. officials have given Cuba access to various sensitive and secure areas of the country.
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The letter states, “Under your watch, Cuban operatives have again accessed sensitive, secure areas within the U.S. transportation system. Yet again, Congress must step in to prevent your Department and the Biden Administration from hosting individuals from a country which our Department of State has listed as a SSOT since 2021.”
The Response to Republican Lawmakers
The TSA has already responded to these allegations, with a spokesperson explaining that the TSA “routinely works with all countries with direct flights to the United States.”
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The TSA also explained that Cuban officials never accessed any sensitive technology. These officials instead simply saw an overview of airport security — and only saw areas that regular people can see when in the airport.
Democrat Reaction
Republicans weren’t the only Florida lawmakers shocked at this move. Florida Democrats, such as Representative Frederica Wilson, said that Cuban officials and the Cuban government shouldn’t have any place in the U.S. government.
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Meanwhile, Democratic Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava and Miami City Manager Emilio González also called out this tour.