Trump administration kicks out Cuban diplomat from US as tensions rise

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the Trump administration is ejecting a Cuban diplomat from the United States amid soaring tensions between Washington and Havana.

The ejection comes after a shouting match erupted on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly Hall between Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla during a session on the US economic embargo against Cuba. It also comes as administration officials have again increasingly raised the specter of US action on the island.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio “signed the paperwork to eject the Cuban diplomat, the first secretary of their delegation,” Waltz said Tuesday evening.

“He’s gone. He’s going to be on a plane to Havana within the next 24 hours,” Waltz said in an interview on Fox News. He accused the diplomat of shoving and trying to “assault one of our American diplomats.” Waltz reiterated in another Fox interview on Wednesday that the Cuban diplomat “will be on a flight back to Havana and out of this country today.”

“You lay a hand on an American here in the United States, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and myself, we’re not going to stand for it. There will be consequences,” Waltz said Tuesday.

“We have made clear to the Cuba Mission that this individual is not welcome in the United States, and as a result this individual has left,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN Wednesday. “Members of the incompetent communist Cuban regime showed their true essence through their intimidation and oppression tactics. Those tactics will not work, nor will they be tolerated.”

CNN has reached out the Cuban Mission to the UN for comment.

Videos from the Tuesday show members of the Cuban delegation hitting a table and the foreign minister shouting for a point of order as Waltz spoke. Rodríguez Parrilla approached the podium, and the two began shouting over each other.

“This individual needs to back away from this podium. He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America like he tries to intimidate political prisoners,” Waltz yelled from the podium. “I’m the representative of the United States of America. Back up!”

Shouts calling Waltz a liar were heard. Another video shared by Waltz’s account on X showed a Cuban diplomat swatting away the phone taking the video, with that diplomat saying the person was violating their personal space.

Later Tuesday, the Cuban Mission to the UN sent a letter to the Secretary General expressing deep concern about that incident. In the letter, the Cuban mission said a US diplomat had invaded the Cuban diplomat’s personal space to film them and put the videos on social media with the intention of damaging the Cuban diplomat’s reputation.

On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly overwhelming passed a resolution condemning the longstanding US embargo against Cuba, 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions.

The Trump administration in recent months had ratcheted up economic pressure on Cuba as it sought to force changes to the Castro government. In recent days, however, they have also increased their public rhetoric about possible US intervention to oust the longtime government in Havana.

On Friday, Rubio posted on X, “To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time.”

‘The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA,’ he wrote.

The CIA has been in touch with at least some Americans engaging in projects on the island, but those discussions are largely preliminary and predate the Rubio post, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. It is unclear if the bold message from Rubio will drive more Cubans to engage with CIA in efforts to oust the island’s communist government, but the agency itself sent out a video in Spanish, moments after Rubio’s tweet, with step-by-step directions on how to securely contact the US spy agency.

President Donald Trump, speaking on the midterm campaign trail, has said that the US would deal with Cuba on the “way back from Iran.”

“We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran. We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said to a South Florida midterm rally crowd, repeating a claim he’s made several times. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships. We’ll pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands, and then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the game.”

CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed reporting.

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