Cuba Low on Oil But Never Runs Out of Useful Idiots

We’ve already had Hasan Piker and Code Pink turn up in Cuba to protest the US pressure on the country. Now two US congress members, both Democrats of course, have spent five days visiting the country in order to better spread Cuban propaganda and visit with the country’s communist president.

Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and members of Parliament during a five-day trip that ended Sunday…

Jayapal told reporters she believes that recent steps taken by Cuba, such as opening the economy to certain investments by Cuban Americans living abroad; the recent announcement that more than 2,000 prisoners would be pardoned; and the arrival of an FBI team to collaborate in the investigation of a fatal shooting involving a U.S.-flagged boat, “indicate that the moment is here for us to have a real negotiation between the two countries and to reverse the failed U.S. policy of decades, a Cold War remnant that no longer serves the American people or the Cuban people.”

Cuba has in fact released prisoners but what Jayapal did not mention is that none of them were political prisoners jailed for opposing the communist regime. 

More than 2,000 prisoners are slated to be released as part of Cuba’s state-run media on Thursday called a “sovereign and humanitarian” gesture, the largest such amnesty ‌in 10 years.

The U.S. said it was ‌closely monitoring whether those it deems to be political prisoners would be among the liberated.

“It is unclear how many, if any, political prisoners will ⁠be released,” the ⁠spokesperson said. “We continue to call for the immediate release of the hundreds of other brave Cuban patriots who remain unjustly detained.”…

A steady stream of men and women could be seen leaving the La Lima prison in Guanabacoa, just outside Havana, through the morning on Friday. Reuters ⁠spoke ⁠with several who had been pardoned ⁠of common crimes ranging from theft to bribery, but none had been involved in political anti-government protests.

There are still hundreds of political prisoners being held in Cuba’s jails, some of whom were rounded up about five years ago during anti-governmental protests.

On April 2, the Cuban government announced the release of 2,010 prisoners, framing it as a “humanitarian gesture.” While the announcement raised hopes among many political prisoners’ families, neither Human Rights Watch nor other civil society groups, including Prisoners Defenders and Justicia 11J, have identified any political prisoners among those released.

In its announcement, the Cuban government said it would exclude, among others, people sentenced for “crimes against authority.” Under Cuban law, these include crimes such as “contempt,” “propaganda,” and “assault” that the government has used for decades to target and arbitrarily prosecute critics.

Over 700 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba, according to groups like Justicia 11J and Prisoners Defenders, and hundreds more face house arrest and other restrictions. Among them is Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, an artist who was sentenced to five years in prison for “insulting national symbols,” among other crimes, after wearing a Cuban flag on his shoulders in protest of a new law on the use of national symbols. He was detained after posting a video saying he would join the landmark July 2021 protests.

So while these people who oppose the communist regime are still sitting in prison for vague crimes with no end in sight, Rep. Jayapal and Rep. Jackson are in Cuba claiming that the regime has changed and it’s time to let up on the pressure against them. She’s not even mentioning the prisoners. Just look how chummy Rep. Jayapal appears when meeting with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel, hand-picked successor to Raul Castro. She’s absolutely thrilled!

Al recibir a los congresistas estadounidenses @RepJayapal y @rep_jackson denuncié el daño criminal provocado por el #bloqueo, en particular las consecuencias del cerco energético decretado por el actual gobierno de EE.UU y sus amenazas de acciones aun más agresivas.

Reiteré la… pic.twitter.com/AI0CFlSM2n

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) April 6, 2026

As for the government’s willingness to open itself to new investments, Cuba has done this before. Under pressure it briefly allows some freedoms and then, at some later date, the regime clamps down once again and puts an end to those same freedoms. The problem is the continuity of the communist government, which hasn’t changed and won’t change so long as there are dummies like Rep. Jayapal to take their side and spread their propaganda.

This really is not a “new moment” for Cuba, as Jayapal claims in the interview below. That’s regime propaganda. This is Cuba doing what it has always done, angling for the same way out it has always sought. Cuba may be low on oil but it never runs low on useful idiots.

Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a failed U.S. policy toward Cuba.

This is a new moment. Instead of blockades, sanctions, and embargoes, we must pursue real negotiations that help the people of both our countries. pic.twitter.com/z17jjhzujR

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) April 6, 2026

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