Rubio Urges Cubans Seeking Change to Form 'Discrete Partnership' with the CIA
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Cubans seeking change in the country to form a "discrete partnership" with the CIA, the United States' foreign intelligence service. In a post on social media, Rubio said "now is the time" for those looking to "create positive change" in Cuba to act.
"The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA," he wrote.
The appeal is not an isolated remark. The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that its goal is to bring about a change in Havana's leadership, with President Donald Trump himself having claimed the country is "ready to fall."
In January, Trump ramped up pressure on Cuba after announcing an oil blockade of the island nation following a US military operation to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
"Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account at the time. "There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba - zero!" he continued.
In the same post, he added: "I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late." Alongside the economic pressure, in other words, his message also kept the door to negotiations open.
Speaking to reporters in September, Trump appeared confident that he could come to an arrangement with Cuba. "I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal," he said. "I don't think we'll need the military."
The CIA, meanwhile, has shared tips for Cubans looking to work with the agency, advising people not to use a device or internet connection linked to their identity or place of work and to "remove all software, apps and programmes from the device you are using to contact us."
It asks people wanting to get in touch to share their base location, job title, and "type or level of access you have to information of interest to our organisation." The guidance makes clear that Washington is openly interested in building an information-gathering network inside Cuba.
Rubio's post comes at a time when US pressure on Cuba has widened from an economic blockade to a public call for intelligence cooperation. What Havana says in response is now the question to watch.
In the eyes of analysts, a public appeal of this kind is part of a strategy to increase pressure on Cuba's leadership. How much real effect it has inside the island, however, will depend on how events unfold from here.
