Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez Attends U.S. Department of State Launch of First Humanitarian Assistance Flight to Cuba
Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez attended the launch of the first humanitarian assistance flight to Cuba organized by the U.S. Department of State, marking a historic effort to deliver lifesaving aid directly to the Cuban people through trusted independent organizations.
The humanitarian assistance, made possible through a $100 million commitment by the United States, will be distributed by organizations including Caritas Cuba and the Catholic Church, helping ensure that food, medicine, hygiene supplies, and other essential items reach those in need without passing through the hands of the communist and socialist Cuban dictatorship.
"For more than 67 years, the communist and socialist dictatorship has denied the Cuban people their most basic freedoms while driving the country into poverty and humanitarian crisis," said Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez. "This mission sends a clear message that the American people stand with the people of Cuba, not with the regime that has oppressed them for generations."
Fernandez thanked President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their leadership in making the humanitarian mission possible and for ensuring that assistance will be delivered through trusted organizations with a long history of serving the Cuban people.
As a Cuban American and as Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, Fernandez reaffirmed his commitment to speaking out against the dictatorship and supporting efforts that provide meaningful assistance to the Cuban people while preventing the regime from exploiting humanitarian aid for political purposes.
"The Cuban people deserve food, medicine, hope, and freedom," Fernandez added. "Not one dollar, one box of supplies, or one grain of rice should ever be allowed to strengthen the dictatorship that has devastated Cuba for more than six decades. Humanitarian aid belongs to the Cuban people, and the world must continue standing with them until they are finally free."
