Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a 100-page State Department report alleging that Cuba has spent more than six decades building a covert network inside the United States through espionage, ideological influence and cultivation of American activists and academic relationships.
The report, which Rubio described as intended to expose Havana's campaign against U.S. interests, claims Cuban intelligence infiltrated 'the top levels of the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Pentagon.' The document also alleges that Cuba cultivated ties with American revolutionary groups dating back decades and later expanded those connections to include contemporary left-wing organizations.
What the Right Is Saying
Rubio wrote on X that 'for more than six decades, the Cuban regime has been the leading sponsor of radical leftism and Third Worldism in the United States.' He stated that 'the American people deserve to know' about what he characterized as Havana's campaign of espionage and subversion.
U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz appeared on Fox News to echo the assessment that Cuba remains a national security threat. 'The Cuban regime is not only a threat to its own people, it's a national security threat, and this administration is not going to stand for it any longer,' Waltz said. He also accused China and Russia of collecting information around U.S. military bases in Cuba.
What the Left Is Saying
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismissed the report as political propaganda in a statement posted on X. He called it the State Department's 'latest fallacy' about Cuba and accused the Trump administration of manufacturing a pretext to continue what he described as Washington's 'cruel and criminal economic war' against the island.
Rodríguez specifically accused 'that U.S. politician from South Florida' — an apparent reference to Rubio, who represents Florida in the Senate — of concocting a 'macabre plan' that advances only the interests 'of those who have always paid him.' The Cuban foreign minister's statement did not directly address the specific espionage allegations but argued the report serves as cover for expanded economic sanctions.
What the Numbers Show
The State Department's 100-page report cites several high-profile Cuban espionage cases that resulted in convictions: Victor Manuel Rocha, Ana Belén Montes, Walter Kendall Myers and members of the Wasp Network.
Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson is quoted in the report calling Cuba's intelligence service 'probably the most aggravating intelligence service I've ever worked against.' Olson warned, 'The Cubans have penetrated our government… We only know the tip of the iceberg.'
The report identifies organizations it claims maintained pro-Cuba activism in the United States for decades, including the Venceremos Brigade, ICAP, the National Network on Cuba, the Democratic Socialists of America, Code Pink and the National Lawyers Guild. The document also alleges that Cuba viewed American colleges and universities as recruiting grounds for politically sympathetic students who could later move into influential positions.
The Bottom Line
The State Department report marks an escalation in how the Trump administration characterizes Cuban influence operations inside the United States. By publicly releasing a detailed accounting of alleged espionage activities and institutional relationships, Rubio has signaled that Havana will face continued scrutiny under this administration.
What happens next: Earlier this month, the Trump administration expanded Cuba sanctions beyond U.S. companies in what it described as a major crackdown on foreign enablers. The State Department report may serve as justification for additional measures targeting Cuban government operations or individuals and organizations alleged to have worked with Havana's intelligence services.