MIAMI \u2014 South Florida\u2019s Cuban activists want the island nation\u2019s communist government to be the Trump administration\u2019s next target after the death of Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n
The joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran has created anticipation for quick action in Cuba across South Florida, with excitement evident in the streets: Several thousand people from the diaspora caravaned through Miami over the weekend in support of Trump toppling the government in Tehran.<\/p>\n
The protestors organizing the event demanded subsequent \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d in Cuba, including major repercussions for the island nation\u2019s communist leaders. Many shared pictures and videos over social media<\/a> of the event using the hashtag \u201c#Cubanext.\u201d<\/p>\n And on the heels of President Donald Trump declaring the U.S. could pursue a \u201cfriendly takeover\u201d<\/a> of Cuba, a coalition of more than 30 Cuban opposition and resistance organizations met in Miami on Monday to sign a \u201cFreedom Accord\u201d laying out their post-communism roadmap.<\/p>\n The document, which they also sent to the State Department, names the Communist Party of Cuba as a \u201ccriminal enterprise\u201d and calls for its dismantling. It further outlines different phases to free, stabilize and rebuild Cuba \u2014 which would culminate in democratic elections.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s no reason to show them mercy, just as they haven’t shown mercy to the Cuban people,\u201d one of the activists who attended the signing, Alex Otaola, told POLITICO of Cuba\u2019s leadership. Otaola was also the caravan organizer and is president of the Cuban Anticommunist Foundation.<\/p>\n The push for regime change in Cuba comes at a potentially fraught time for the Trump administration, which is now engaged in a conflict with Iran that\u2019s engulfing other Middle Eastern countries in the region. Trump has for years railed against U.S. involvement in foreign wars but during his second administration has maximized U.S. force in Venezuela and Iran.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who used to represent Florida in the Senate and is the son of Cuban immigrants, has led talks with Havana. The U.S. has launched a fuel blockade that \u2014 according to comments Trump made to reporters Friday \u2014 has left the county with no oil, food or money.<\/p>\n Asked for more details about where talks stand, a White House official responding to POLITICO said that: \u201cAs the president stated, we are talking to Cuba, whose leaders should make a deal. Cuba is a failing nation whose rulers have had a major setback with the loss of support from Venezuela and with Mexico ceasing to send them oil.\u201d<\/p>\n Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo, who represents the city with the highest proportion of Cuban residents in the U.S., said his constituents had expected U.S. action in Cuba before Iran. Now, he said, \u201cIt’s very clear that the administration is going to take kinetic action in multiple places at once.\u201d Cuba, he said, \u201cshould be on the top of that list.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been waiting 67 years,\u201d he continued, referring to the time that has passed since the Cuban Revolution. \u201cSo obviously we wish it happens as soon as possible, but I think we’re going to see something probably before the midterms.\u201d<\/p>\n Hialeah had an operational briefing a couple weeks ago with the city\u2019s fire and police chiefs to prepare for how the city might be affected if action is taken against the island nation. The potential for leadership change in Cuba is also reverberating across the state in Tallahassee, where GOP state lawmakers filed an amendment to a foreign influence bill<\/a> that would give the governor power to suspend laws restricting trade with Cuba if the Trump administration were to overthrow the communist leadership.<\/p>\n Elected officials have also in recent days pressed for answers about a shootout off the coast of Cuba involving a Florida-based speedboat, in which four people were killed and six others injured last week. Those supportive of the Trump administration\u2019s actions have pointed to Iran as an example of the fate that could await Cuban leaders.<\/p>\n GOP Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar<\/a> said the latest actions showed \u201ctyrants are falling\u201d and the message to Havana was \u201cyou\u2019re next.\u201d The White House should continue its pressure against Cuba, she said, and cut off any remaining financial lifelines.<\/p>\n \u201cCuba\u2019s regime is definitely watching,\u201d said Salazar, who represents parts of Miami-Dade County. \u201cThey saw Iran shake. They saw Maduro fall. Now they are witnessing the return of American strength, and that terrifies them.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trump administration has closely aligned with congressional Republicans calling for hardline actions against Cuba. Foreign policy \u2014 particularly on Cuba and Venezuela \u2014 has been a key factor<\/a> shaping the Hispanic electorate in South Florida, where the voting block has become increasingly Republican.<\/p>\n