CONGRESSMAN CARLOS A. GIMÉNEZ STATEMENT ON THE INDICTMENT OF DICTATOR RAÚL CASTRO

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez issued the following statement regarding the indictment of dictator Raúl Castro for his role in the 1996 murder of four Americans during the shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft over international waters:

Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez said, "Justice has been delayed for decades, but the Cuban dictatorship must finally answer for its crimes. The brutal shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue planes was not an accident or a misunderstanding - it was a cold-blooded act of murder carried out by the Castro regime against innocent Americans flying humanitarian missions.

"Earlier this year, I joined my colleagues in urging President Trump and his administration to pursue full accountability, including the indictment of Raúl Castro for his direct role in this heinous terrorist attack. Raúl Castro has spent decades escaping justice while the families of Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, Pablo Morales, and Armando Alejandre Jr. were forced to live with the pain of this horrific crime. That era of impunity must end.

"As the only Cuban-born Member of Congress, this is deeply personal to me. The Cuban exile community has never stopped demanding justice for these American heroes murdered by a murderous dictatorship.

"The Castro regime is not simply a dictatorship - it is a criminal enterprise built on repression, bloodshed, political persecution, and terror. For generations, it has oppressed the Cuban people, destabilized our hemisphere, and threatened the national security interests of the United States.

"Today's indictment sends an unmistakable message to Havana: no amount of time, propaganda, or repression will erase these crimes. Those who murder Americans and terrorize innocent people will be held accountable. None of this would be possible without President Donald A. Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio's leadership and we thank them for their commitment to a free Cuba, libertad from the brutal dictatorship."

The February 24, 1996 shootdown of two civilian Brothers to the Rescue aircraft resulted in the deaths of four individuals aboard two unarmed civilian planes over international waters. In February 2026, Congressman Giménez joined Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Nicole Malliotakis in formally urging the President Donald. J. Trump and his administration to pursue charges against Raúl Castro for his role in the murder.

Read the full letter sent HERE.

Read the full unsealed indictment HERE.

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Permalink: https://gimenez.house.gov/2026/5/congressman-carlos-a-gim-nez-statement-on-the-indictment-of-dictator-ra-l-castro