U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a public call on Friday for Cubans seeking political change to work with the CIA in what officials framed as an opportunity for regime change on the communist-led island.
"To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba — now is the time," Rubio wrote on X. "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." The message represented an unusually direct and public recruitment effort by U.S. intelligence.
Shortly after Rubio's post, the CIA posted a video on X with instructions in Spanish for Cubans to contact the agency. The video encouraged those with relevant information to visit an official U.S. installation in person if safe travel was possible. For online contact through cia.gov, the agency instructed users to employ a secure virtual private network, private browser, and burner email account unassociated with personal details. Those submitting information were advised to include their city, job, level of access, and contact details.
The call drew sharp mockery from Cuban officials. "Now the United States is resorting to public recruitment for the CIA," Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio wrote on X. "There must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste."
Rubio's appeal came as part of an intensifying Trump administration campaign against Cuba's government. On Friday, President Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, suggesting military action. "We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran," Trump said, describing U.S. Navy ships stopping near Cuba and adding, "We're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal." Trump did not elaborate on what such an agreement would entail.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the threats. "Our shores are lined with beautiful beaches, but they are also rugged and inhospitable to those who arrive with hostile intentions and a desire for domination," he posted on X.
The Trump administration has maintained a decades-long embargo on Cuba and recently imposed additional economic sanctions, including measures against Cuba's state-run bank over alleged ties to Iran. A de facto energy blockade initiated in January has strained Cuba's economy, causing fuel shortages and disrupting electricity and food distribution. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former Florida senator, has long advocated for a hardline U.S. approach toward Cuba's communist leadership.
