Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar criticized Mexico‘s delivery of aid to Cuba, saying “nothing sent directly to the regime will be seen by average Cubans.”
“It all ends up in hotels and the tables of repressors,” Salazar added in a social media publication. She went on to say that if “Mexico really wants to help the Cuban people, it must make sure that the help reaches everyday Cubans, not the corrupt leaders of the regime.”
“Sending products to the regime is not helping the people. It’s being an accomplice of a murderous tyranny,” she concluded.
Si México de verdad quiere ayudar al pueblo cubano, que se asegure de que esa ayuda llegue al cubano de a pie, no a la cúpula corrupta del régimen.
Nada que se envíe directamente a la dictadura lo verá el cubano promedio. Termina en hoteles y en las mesas de los represores.… https://t.co/d2HOHnIwPZ
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) February 12, 2026
She was reacting to news that two Mexican Navy ships docked in Cuba on Thursday to deliver humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Caribbean island. The country, however, refrained from sending oil due to the ongoing U.S. blockade.
The ships carried over 800 tons of humanitarian aid, according to The Associated Press. They include milk, rice, beans, sardines, meat products, cookies, canned tuna and vegetable oil, as well as powdered milk and hygiene products.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the country will send “more support of different kinds” while it continues to seek diplomatic means to get oil to the country.
“We have stated to both the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico that Mexico is doing everything possible to foster a dialogue that, within the framework of Cuba’s sovereignty, creates the conditions for peaceful dialogue and ensures that Cuba, without any country imposing sanctions, can receive oil and its derivatives for its daily operations.”
Sheinbaum has rejected President Donald Trump’s threat to sanction countries sending oil to the country, recently saying “you can’t hurt the people just because you disagree with the government.” “It’s not right. They don’t have fuel for hospitals or schools. The people are suffering,” she added.
In the meantime, the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba said Washington is in talks with senior figures inside the Cuban government and suggested a Trump-friendly successor comparable to Venezuela‘s interim president has been identified, pointing to what he described as the start of a political transition on the island.
Originally published on Latin Times
