Five Years After Cuba's Historic 11J Uprising: The Time for Freedom and Accountability Has Come

Thousands of peaceful protesters were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. They simply demanded the same God-given liberty and unalienable rights that America’s founders were fighting for when they signed our Declaration of Independence 250 years ago.

Yet despite the regime’s relentless repression, the spirit of the July 11 movement lives on and continues to inspire millions of freedom-loving people across Florida, the United States, and the world.

That’s why this week, Senator Ashley Moody and I reintroduced a Senate resolution honoring the brave men and women who stood up on July 11 and condemning the illegitimate Communist Cuban regime. We owe it to every political prisoner, every persecuted family, and every Cuban who still dreams of freedom to ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten.

Five years ago, America’s policy toward the dictators of our hemisphere looked very different than it does today. Today, the tide has turned. The dictators who believed they could act with impunity are learning that accountability is no longer optional. Just ask Nicolás Maduro.

President Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio have made it clear from day one that the era of Biden-Obama appeasement is over. America once again stands firmly with those fighting for freedom—not with the tyrants who oppress them. Their leadership has restored a foreign policy rooted in strength, accountability, and unwavering support for those resisting communist oppression throughout our hemisphere.

That commitment is already producing results. In May, the Department of Justice indicted former Cuban dictator Raúl Castro for his role in the murder of four innocent men—including three American citizens—when the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft were shot down over international waters. For decades, the Castro regime believed it would never face consequences for its crimes. Those days are over.

Florida understands better than anyone the true cost of communism. Millions of Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans have built their lives in our state after fleeing dictatorships that destroyed their homelands. Throughout my two terms as Governor and now as a United States Senator, I have remained committed to standing with those fighting for liberty and ensuring the dictators responsible for so much suffering are held accountable. That commitment extends beyond words.

I continue fighting to pass my DEMOCRACIA Act to permanently end the failed appeasement policies that empowered the Cuban regime for far too long. Earlier this year, I also reintroduced the No Relief for Allies of Dictators Act to revoke and deny U.S. visas to foreign nationals who enable or profit from the regimes in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Bolivia.

This Administration has also made one thing unmistakably clear: there is absolutely no place in the United States for businesses or individuals who help sustain the illegitimate Communist Cuban regime. Anyone who violates U.S. law or sanctions by doing business with regime-controlled entities should expect to face the full force of American justice. Appeasement enriched the dictatorship, strengthened its grip on power, and prolonged the suffering of the Cuban people. We cannot repeat those mistakes.

The Castro regime continues to rely on fear, propaganda, and repression because it knows one simple truth: it has lost the support of the Cuban people. Every human being is created free and equal. It takes a lot of force to keep them in chains, and the tyrants always lose in the end. The determination of the Cuban people displayed on July 11 proved that they are not afraid and the regime’s long train of abuses is in its final chapters.

I will continue working alongside President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and my colleagues in Congress to deny the regime the resources it uses to oppress its people and to hold accountable everyone who helps keep it in power. Floridians can be confident that this Administration will never go soft on communist dictators.

The fight for freedom has never been easy. It demands courage, perseverance, and unwavering faith. But today, Cuba is closer to freedom than five years ago because the United States once again has leaders willing to confront tyranny instead of accommodating it. Our fight cannot not end until every political prisoner is free, every trace of communist oppression is erased from the island, and every member of the illegitimate Communist Cuban regime—and all those who enabled and benefited from it, including their family members—is held fully accountable.

Cuba’s future does not belong to the Castros or criminal puppets like Diaz-Canel. It belongs to the Cuban people. It belongs to freedom. It belongs to Patria y Vida.

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