United States Vice President JD Vance stated this Wednesday that the White House is monitoring the attack perpetrated by the Cuban Border Guard against a boat registered in Florida, an incident that caused four deaths and at least six injuries.
Vance, consulted by journalists, indicated that all the details are still unknown and expressed his hope that “it is not as serious as we fear“.
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Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that the United States is investigating the shots fired at the vessel, but so far it depends on the information provided by the Cuban regime about what happened.
“
As we gather more information, we will be prepared to respond accordingly,” Rubio assured. Asked about the possibility that the incident involved U.S. government personnel or was an official operation, he replied: “
No.”
The attack occurred on Wednesday morning in Cuban territorial waters. According to the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, a unit of the
Border Guard Troops detected the American vessel, with Florida registration, near the channel
El Pino, in Cayo Falcones.
According to the statement from the communist regime, the crew of the boat would have opened fire on Cuban forces during the identification procedure, which provoked the armed response. As a result,
four people from the American vessel died and six others were injured; a Cuban commander was also injured.
Vance stressed that the administration is still attentive to the evolution of the case, but he pointed out that “he cannot say more because he simply does not know more.” The vice president insisted that the US government seeks to clarify the facts quickly before issuing definitive judgments about the episode.
In parallel, Florida Attorney General
James Uthmeier announced the opening of a state investigation, in coordination with federal agencies and law enforcement.
“
I have directed the State Attorney’s Office to work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to launch an investigation. The Cuban government cannot be trusted and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable”, Uthmeier posted on his social media.
The case generated immediate reactions from Congress and local authorities in Florida. Congressman
Carlos Giménez demanded “an immediate investigation of this massacre” and requested that US authorities clarify whether any of the victims are US citizens or legal residents.
“The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against the community,” Giménez said.
Senator Rick Scott, former governor of Florida, called the situation “concerning” and joined the call for a thorough investigation.
“The Cuban communist regime must be held accountable,” he affirmed. For her part, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called for a complete and immediate evaluation to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
The attack occurs amid pressure from Washington on Havana, following the United States military intervention in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the cutting off of Venezuelan crude oil supplies to the island. The Cuban dictatorship maintains that it responded to an armed aggression coming from the offending boat, although they have not disclosed the identity of the deceased or their motivations.
Similar incidents have been recorded in recent years. In 2022, a U.S. boat injured a Cuban officer after firing near Villa Clara and, in another case, a Cuban patrol boat sank a U.S. boat during a chase, resulting in several deaths.
Congresswoman
María Elvira Salazar stated that she will await official information from the US authorities before commenting, although she emphasized the need to protect the rights of Florida citizens and residents involved.
As state and federal investigations proceed, the case threatens to exacerbate tensions between the United States and Cuba. The Florida government insists that Havana must answer for the deaths, while the White House maintains its cautious stance until it has more data and progress in the investigations.
