Four Cuban-American Republicans Call for Indictment of Raul Castro Over Fatal 1996 Plane Shootdown

By Jim Thomas | Friday, February 13, 2026

Four Cuban-American House Republicans have urged President Donald Trump to direct the Justice Department to consider indicting former Cuban leader Raul Castro for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by “Brothers to the Rescue,” an incident that killed four people and will mark its 30th anniversary on February 24.

Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) requested that the Department of Justice weigh charges related to the incident, describing the deaths as “cold-blooded murders of three Americans and a U.S. permanent resident.”

The U.S. government has long maintained that the aircraft were downed in international airspace—a claim disputed by Cuba at the time.

In 1997, the State Department stated the planes were shot down “in international airspace.” A United Nations Security Council resolution strongly deplored the incident, which reportedly caused four deaths and referenced international civil aviation rules governing the use of force against civilian aircraft.

Congress later embedded these findings in the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, formally titled the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act, which was signed on March 12, 1996.

The lawmakers cited a 1996 Miami Herald report alleging Castro ordered the shootdown. Castro, who is 94 years old and born June 3, 1931, stepped down as head of Cuba’s Communist Party in 2021, ending the Castro family era as the party elevated President Miguel Diaz-Canel as its new leader.

The request for an indictment has been framed by advocates as part of a broader effort to expand U.S. influence across the Western Hemisphere.

During a recent Senate hearing, Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) inquired whether the United States would consider ruling out regime change in Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded: “Regime change? Oh no, I think we would love to see the regime there change.”

When asked if the U.S. would use military force in Cuba to accelerate the collapse of the current leadership, Rubio stated: “Yeah, but that’s statutory. The Helms-Burton Act and the U.S. embargo on Cuba are codified in law and require regime change for us to lift the embargo.”