US State Department report accuses Cuba of widespread infiltration of US government and supporting left-wing terrorism

Location: Washington, United States Source: AFP

FILE - A U.S. and Cuban flag hangs on a wall in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) | Photo Credit: AP

A U.S. State Department report on Monday accused Cuban spies of infiltrating the highest levels of government in Washington and aiding "left-wing terrorism" on American soil.

Containing little new information, the report — titled "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism" — comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to end communist rule of the island while amping up anti-leftist rhetoric at home.

A months-long pressure campaign has seen Washington effectively impose an oil embargo on Cuba, while issuing economic sanctions against key state-run companies and even indicting former president Raul Castro.

Ahead of U.S. elections in November, Mr. Trump and other Republican leaders have revived Cold War-style rhetoric portraying left-wing U.S. political figures as a communist "menace."

Key Allegations

The State Department report alleged that Cuba:

• "Has infiltrated the highest reaches of the U.S. government"
• "Recruited and cultivated generations of American activists"
• "Backed an unprecedented wave of left-wing terrorism on American soil"

While the allegations represent an escalation in U.S.-Cuba tensions, espionage between the two countries has long been known.

Historical Context

Since the Cold War, the U.S. has made high-profile arrests of Cuban intelligence officers, including:

• The "Cuban Five" — convicted of infiltrating civil society groups in Florida in the 1990s
• Ana Montes — who spied from a senior position within the Defense Intelligence Agency

In more recent cases:

• Walter Kendall Myers — State Department intelligence analyst, pled guilty to spying for Cuba
• Victor Manuel Rocha — former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, pled guilty in a separate case

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Cuban exiles tried to assassinate late Cuban president and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro more than 600 times, according to an estimate by his former intelligence chief, Fabian Escalante.

Cuban Response

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, in a post on X, called the new report "the latest fallacy from the US State Department."

He said it was part of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's effort to create a "pretext for sustaining a cruel and criminal economic war that punishes every Cuban family, as well as his aspiration to launch a military attack on Cuba, for which he is desperately seeking the support of US citizens."

U.S. Threatens Takeover of Cuba

The report released Monday made sweeping — if unsubstantiated — allegations that Cuba has cultivated relationships with leftist groups across the world and in the U.S. to drive "overriding resentment and fundamental hatred of the United States and the broader West."

The State Department said that the communist country had influenced "a disproportionate share of America's most famous and influential extremist movements," in an effort to "turn America against itself."

The report marks the latest downturn in the long-fraught relationship.

Timeline of Recent Relations

• 2015 — Then-president Barack Obama attempted a rapprochement with the Cuban government, hoping a more diplomatic approach would yield better relations after a half-century of hostility.
• 2017 — Mr. Trump quickly restored a hardline stance.
• 2025 — On returning to office, Mr. Trump reinstated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism on his first day.
• Earlier this year — The U.S. military overthrew Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, a long-time supporter of the Cuban government who provided subsidized energy to the island.
• Since then — The United States has effectively imposed an oil embargo on Cuba that has contributed to multiple nationwide blackouts.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly signaled that the Cuban government could be next after Venezuela to fall to U.S. pressure, and said in June that Washington would be "taking over" the Caribbean island, about 90 miles (145 km) from Florida, "almost immediately."

Published - July 21, 2026 10:50 pm IST