Progressive Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) traveled to Cuba last week — a secret trip that has outraged several Republican lawmakers.
Jayapal, the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Omar, the deputy chairwoman, led a delegation of about a dozen people to the communist island, according to the Miami Herald.
A staffer from Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-Calif.) office was also among those on the trip, according to the outlet, which notes that the travel was not disclosed by the liberal lawmakers beforehand or reported on in Cuban state media.
“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” a spokesperson for the progressive caucus told the Miami Herald.
The mysterious trip, which took place during a week when the House was in recess, also overlapped with a visit to Havana by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who traveled to the island as part of a Latin American tour that included stops in Venezuela and Brazil.
Cuba has been under US embargo for more than 60 years.
Jayapal and Omar, both critics of the embargo, have backed bills seeking to normalize US relations with Havana.
The pair were also among 40 House Democrats that voted against a resolution in support of peaceful demonstrations against the island’s communist government in 2021.
Several Republican lawmakers were not pleased when they learned of the trip.
“All members of the media should refer to the Progressive Caucus by their more accurate name — the Congressional Communist Sympathizing Caucus,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) wrote on X.
“It’s outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and supports Iran, Russia and Communist China against our interests,” she added.
“Perhaps their time would be better spent listening to the Cubans crossing our southern border & risking their lives on makeshift rafts to find out why they’re fleeing Communism.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), a Cuban exile, suggested that the trip was aimed at appeasing the communist regime.
“The murderous dictatorship in Cuba must be defeated — not appeased,” Gimenez tweeted.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the son of Cuban immigrants, slammed the trip as well.
“Pro-Hamas members of marxist congressional squad just returned from a secret visit with anti-American dictatorship in Cuba,” he tweeted.
Last month, Jayapal called on the Biden administration to remove Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“Being on this list has made it nearly impossible for Cuba to do international business, driving an economic downturn that has led residents to flee the country,” she wrote on X. “It’s time to re-engage with Cuba.”
