Sign Up Account Profile Log Out

Newsletters Morning Report 12:30 Report Evening Report Business Defense Health Care Technology Newsletter Energy & Environment Whole Hog Politics The Gavel The Movement

Technology Newsletter

NEWS Senate House Administration Courts Future America Media Campaign News Education In The Know Latino LGBTQ DC News Race & Politics State Watch Print Edition People in the News

POLICY Defense Health Care Energy & Environment Technology Transportation International Cybersecurity National Security Space Sustainability

BUSINESS Budget Taxes Personal Finance Lobbying

OPINION Columnists Congress Blog All Contributors Opinions – Campaign Opinions – Civil Rights Opinions – Criminal Justice Opinions – Cybersecurity Opinions – Education Opinions – Energy and Environment Opinions – Finance Opinions – Healthcare Opinions – Immigration Opinions – International Opinions – Judiciary Opinions – National Security Opinions – Technology Opinions – White House Submit Opinion Content

All Contributors Opinions – Campaign Opinions – Civil Rights Opinions – Criminal Justice Opinions – Cybersecurity Opinions – Education Opinions – Energy and Environment Opinions – Finance Opinions – Healthcare Opinions – Immigration Opinions – International Opinions – Judiciary Opinions – National Security Opinions – Technology Opinions – White House

Opinions – Civil Rights

Opinions – Criminal Justice

Opinions – Cybersecurity

Opinions – Energy and Environment

Opinions – Healthcare

Opinions – Immigration

Opinions – International

Opinions – National Security

Opinions – Technology

Opinions – White House

Submit Opinion Content

EVENTS Upcoming Events About

Sign Up Account Profile Log Out

Content from Google Cloud

Wesley Hunt points to Vance, Scott in defending missed votes Campaign | 5 hours ago

US military shot down border patrol drone with laser in Texas, lawmakers say Defense | 5 hours ago

Vance: ‘No chance’ any Iran strikes would lead to long war in Middle East Administration | 6 hours ago

Tampa man killed in Cuban boat shootout wanted to overthrow island’s government, loved ones say Nexstar Media Wire News | 7 hours ago

Denver mayor bans federal immigration agents from city property State Watch | 7 hours ago

ICE, Maryland sheriffs slam new state law prohibiting cooperation agreements State Watch | 8 hours ago

Trump administration enacts 6-month moratorium on Minnesota Medicaid payments  Health Care Newsletter | 9 hours ago

Hillary Clinton criticizes UFO, Pizzagate questions from GOP during Epstein deposition House | 9 hours ago

Florida Republican on Cuba killing 4 on speedboat: ‘We need the regime to go’

Florida Republicans are repeating calls for regime change in Cuba in the wake of the Cuban coast guard killing four people and detaining others who were in a Florida-registered motorboat that Havana said crossed into Cuban territorial waters. 

The deadly confrontation adds another layer of volatility between Havana and Washington, amid President Trump’s fuel blockade around the island. Trump imposed the blockade at the end of January to weaken the Cuban communist regime. Last year, Trump designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. 

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), who was born in Cuba, said Trump’s policies have brought the Cuban regime to the closest point of collapse in its 67 years. 

“The regime is in its weakest position. We have the right president and we have the right secretary of State and the right policies in place in order to make it happen,” Gimenez said on Fox News. 

“Actually I’ve been here for over 65 years. This is, you know, the closest we’ve been to seeing a free Cuba and for me it can’t happen soon enough.”

Gimenez, who is also a member of the House Homeland Security and Armed Services committees, said he wants to know “exactly what happened” with the Cuban coast guard. 

On Wednesday, the Cuban coast guard said it confronted a Florida-registered speedboat and encountered armed individuals who opened fire, describing them as terrorists. Cuba said four people were killed and six others were detained. 

Gimenez demanded access to the individuals taken into custody. Gimenez described the individuals as Americans, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that it’s not yet clear if they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

Gimenez said Cuban officials view any Cuban diaspora as a Cuban national, regardless of other citizenship. He said the boat the Cuban coast guard confronted was a 24-foot open fisherman vessel with a 1,300 horsepower engine. 

“The original story was they were transporting human smuggling and now they’re terrorists. They are changing their story and we need to get to the bottom of it,” he said of Cuban officials. 

Gimenez raised the prospect that Cuba could use the six detained individuals as leverage in the standoff with the U.S.

Other prominent Florida Republicans have called for regime change in Cuba. 

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who is running for governor, posted on the social platform X that the “Communist Cuban regime must go.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said Cuban leader Raúl Castro should be indicted in a U.S. court and put on trial “for all the Americans he killed.”

Asked by The Hill if Trump should carry out an operation to capture Castro similar to the operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on a drug charges warrant, Scott deferred and predicted the Cuban people would eventually topple their government.

“I think ultimately the Cuban people are going to just rise up, because of how bad it is,” he said.

Trump has not laid out his demands for Cuba but said the fuel blockade could usher in regime collapse. 

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is taking the lead on Trump’s policy toward Havana. The Miami Herald reported Thursday that U.S. officials met on the sidelines of a conference in the Caribbean with Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson and bodyguard to Raúl Castro, considered the de facto leader in Havana. 

Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month that the U.S. “would love to see the regime change, it doesn’t mean we’re going to make a change.” 

The secretary said that the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard are carrying out an independent investigation into what happened with the Cuban coast guard.  

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pentagon removes director of Joint Staff, sends him back to Navy role

Tampa man killed in Cuban boat shootout wanted to overthrow island’s ...

GOP senators warn Justice Department to release all Epstein files mentioning ...

Whitmer says US-Canada bridge Trump threatened to block ‘will open’

Democrats fume after Boebert leaks deposition photo of Hillary ...

Hillary Clinton criticizes UFO, Pizzagate questions from GOP during Epstein ...

Vance, Oz announce pause in Medicaid funds to Minnesota amid fraud probe

Rove: Trump made ‘key mistake’ during State of the Union

Wesley Hunt points to Vance, Scott in defending missed votes

Crockett up by double digits in Texas Senate Democratic primary poll

Here are the states putting flags at half-staff for Jesse Jackson

Democrat calls Noem meeting ‘heated and tense’ after call for impeachment

Applebee’s closing restaurants in 3 states

US military shot down border patrol drone with laser in Texas, lawmakers say

Second GOP lawmaker backs Iran war powers act, barring ‘new information’

Was this Trump’s last State of the Union? 

Trump administration urges Supreme Court to end temporary protections for ...

Gorsuch takes aim at fellow Supreme Court justices in tariff decision

2024 Election Results

2024 Election Forecast

Regulation - Administration

Energy & Environment Video Clips

Health Care Video Clips

Technology Video Clips

Transportation Video Clips

International Video Clips

Cybersecurity Video Clips

National Security Video Clips

Contributors to The Hill

Submit Opinion Content

PRIVACY POLICY 09/30/2025

Advertise with Nexstar

Journalistic Integrity

THE HILL 400 N CAPITOL STREET NW, SUITE 650 WASHINGTON DC 20002

© 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Sign in to create a free account. No password needed.

By clicking on any of the sign up options below, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use, which includes a jury trial waiver and class action waiver, and that you have read our Privacy Policy detailing our collection, use and sharing of your personal information.

By clicking on any of the sign up options below, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use, which includes a jury trial waiver and class action waiver, and that you have read our Privacy Policy detailing our collection, use and sharing of your personal information.

The Hill is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.

Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.

The Hill is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Check your email inbox

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Thanks for registering!

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Are you sure you want to log out?

© The Hill