Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar celebrated the stopping of an oil shipment to Cuba as the Trump administration continues to push for regime change in Havana.
In a social media publication, the lawmaker recalled she had “directly asked president (Claudia) Sheinbaum to stop financing the dictatorship with free oil.”
“Today, Mexico is starting to backtrack and do the right thing. It’s great news and a clear sign that that the end of the Cuban regime is getting close. To the Cuban regime: your time is running out. Get out of the island before it’s too late,” she added.
La semana pasada le pedí directamente a la presidenta Sheinbaum que dejara de financiar a la dictadura con petróleo gratis. Hoy, México empieza a dar marcha atrás y hace lo correcto. Esta es una gran noticia y una señal clara de que el final del régimen cubano se acerca.
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) January 27, 2026
Her message follows a report from Bloomberg noting that Mexico‘s state-run oil company Pemex stopped a shipment to Cuba scheduled for this month.
The outlet noted that the shipment from Pemex was supposed to go out this month and arrive to Cuba before the end of January.
Even though it’s not clear the exact reason for the stopping of the shipment, the development comes after a report from Reuters detailing that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was reviewing whether to continue with them.
The president had said in public that the country will continue with the shipments because they are a result of long term contracts and considered international aid, but senior officials told Reuters during the weekend that the policy is under internal review.
Moreover, a recent report from Politico detailed that the Trump administration is considering a total blockade on oil imports to Cuba to drive regime change in the country. The outlet noted that the initiative is resisted by some in the administration but has the backing of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
There are ongoing debates about whether it is necessary to go that far, considering the Caribbean country is going through its worst crisis in the almost 70 years since the Communist revolution. Such a step could exacerbate a humanitarian crisis there and see the U.S. take the blame for it. No decision has been made.
Originally published on Latin Times
