The Trump Administration has announced an additional $6 million in direct assistance for the Cuban people. This assistance will be delivered through the same channel as the first $3 million in assistance, with pre-packaged commodities transported from Miami and delivered by local Catholic parish representatives. “This method has proven highly effective at ensuring that the failed Cuban regime cannot interfere with, or divert, assistance intended for the island’s needy population,” said the State Department in a statement.
“As with the first tranche of direct foreign assistance, let there be no doubt: the regime must not make any effort to interfere with the provision of this lifesaving support,” warned the State Department. U.S. officials remain vigilant in tracking any diversion of its assistance, and the regime will be accountable to the United States and its own people for any interference.
The U.S. is grateful for the continued partnership with Catholic Relief Services and with Caritas to deliver assistance on the ground, said Jeremy Lewin, Acting Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom in a recent briefing.
“Obviously the church is taking a tremendous burden here and taking tremendous risk. They’re the ones that have to deal with the regime every day. They’re the ones that, in the wake of the hurricane, said really they welcomed U.S. assistance and they’re the ones on the ground that have been making sure that the regime doesn’t interfere with it, that it goes to the people in need.”
“We have always said the regime has failed to create any system of government, any functioning economy, and the results have been plain for everyone to see for many years,” said Acting Under Secretary Lewin. “And so, it’s really our privilege to be able to deliver this. To my knowledge, this is the largest amount of direct assistance the United States has ever delivered to Cuba, at least in recent in recent memory.”
The United States stands ready to surge even greater direct support to the Cuban people. The corrupt regime must simply permit it, said Acting Under Secretary Lewin.
“The challenge, of course, as it always has been, is the regime. . . .They don’t want to admit how bad the conditions have gotten in Cuba, and. . .they don’t want to let us sort of come in and do that lifesaving support. But if the Cuban regime. . .comes to their senses and is willing to let us do more support, we would like to be announcing a lot more than that.”
“Our aim here really,” said Acting Under Secretary Lewin, “is just to help the people of Cuba who continue to struggle every day with basic necessities.”
The Trump Administration has announced an additional $6 million in direct assistance for the Cuban people. This assistance will be delivered through the same channel as the first $3 million in assistance, transported from Miami and delivered by local Catholic parish representatives.