United States of America (USA)

U.S. Has New Evidence of Chinese Spy Bases in Cuba

On December 6, “the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) revealed more evidence of Chinese espionage activities from Cuba , including information on four sites that are believed to be driving China ‘s efforts to gather intelligence on the United States and its neighbors.”[1]

“The four bases identified as having the greatest potential to serve Chinese espionage are located in Bejucal, Mayabeque province; El Salao, in Santiago de Cuba; Wajay, in Havana; and Calabazar, also in the capital. . . . [A]ll four facilities have equipment capable of collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT), a clear physical security infrastructure (guard posts, perimeter fences, military insignia, etc.), and other features that point to intelligence-gathering activities.”

At one of the baes (Bejucal) may be the “”headquarters of the Cuban military intelligence radio-electronic brigade” with several antennas scattered on the grounds of the facility that “could allow the base to track satellites and intercept their downlink communications. In addition, they could potentially collect data on US rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This information would provide privileged access to data on flight paths and telemetry from two of the main sites where US satellites are launched into space.” could allow the base to track satellites and intercept their downlink communications . In addition, they could potentially collect data on US rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This information would provide privileged access to data on flight paths and telemetry from two of the main sites where US satellites are launched into space.”

At another base. El Salao, near the Santiago neighborhood of the same name, has a new SIGINT site that had not been previously reported [and] a large controlled directional array antenna (CDAA) has been under construction in the area since 2021, with a diameter of between 130 and 200 meters, capable of detecting signals between 3,000 and 8,000 nautical miles once operational.”

The Wajay base is now “a robust complex today, housing 12 antennas of various sizes and orientations, significant operations and support facilities, and even a small solar park that could serve during failures of Cuba’s disastrous electrical system.”

The Calabazar base [has] a new solar park, considerably larger than the one in Wajay. . . {and new] vertical and horizontal satellite dishes, which appear to be oriented mainly towards the south, possibly aimed at capturing transmissions from satellites in geostationary orbit over the equator.

The U.S. Center that published the report behind the Diario article said that in light of these developments“the United States and its regional partners should carefully monitor China’s growing role in Cuba, harden sensitive communications, and push for transparency to reduce the likelihood of miscalculation.” [2]

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[1] China’s spy bases in Cuba: US investigation reveals new evidence, Diario de Cuba (Dec. 9, 2024).

[2] U.S. Center for Strategic & International Studies, China’s Intelligence Footprint in Cuba: New Evidence and Implications for U.S. Security (Dec. 6, 2024).

Skilled Immigrants Are Entering U.S. Illegally

In recent years the U.S. numbers of undocumented migrants from India and China have increased dramatically. For example, in 2023 there were more than 65,000 such immigrants, most of whom are skilled. [1]

They thereby avoid the difficulties of doing so legally by first obtaining a U.S. job offer and then applying for a U.S. work visa (H-1B), which is time consuming and full of uncertainty. This year, for example, there were 470,000 such applications, but Congress has imposed an annual limit of 85,000 for same, resulting in a lottery.

The other option for such foreigners is to apply for asylum and five months later obtain a work permit while waiting years for a hearing on the asylum request. In fiscal 2022, 250,000 such work permits were issued.

There are many ideas for resolving these problems: (a) creating a “bridge visa” for all skill levels for states where they are most needed without a numeric cap or a lottery; (b) creating a “heartland visa” for resettlement in states suffering population loss; and (c) creating visas for a list of occupations facing critical labor shortages.

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[1] Shou, How the broken immigration system is pushing skilled workers to enter illegally, Wash, Post (July 29, 2024)

Cuba Reiterates Its Demand That the U.S. Stop Listing Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

The Cuban Foreign Ministry has reiterated its demand for the U.S. to stop listing Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.[1] This list, according to the Foreign Ministry,“is an absolutely unilateral and unfounded list, whose only purpose is to slander and serve as a pretext for the adoption of coercive economic measures against sovereign states, such as those ruthlessly applied against Cuba.”

“The clear and absolute truth is that Cuba does not sponsor terrorism, but has been a victim of it, including State terrorism. . . . [The U.S. and its agencies] are well aware of that fact and of the extraordinary damage caused to the Cuban economy by the measures, actions and the intimidating effect that is automatically unleashed against any State that appears on the list.”

The demand to end this listing “is loud and reiterated, on the part not only the Cuban people and numerous governments, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also political, social and religious organizations within . . . the United States itself and several politicians from that country.”

“It is not enough [for the U.S.] to recognize that Cuba cooperates fully with the United States,” as it just has done.

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[1] Declaration of Cuba Ministry of Foreign Relations (May 16, 2024); Cuba States That Its Cooperation Against Terrorism Invalidates Finding That Cuba Is a State Sponsor of Terrorism, dwkcommentaries.com (May 18, 2024); U.S. Churches and Religious Groups Demand Ending of U.S. Designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, dwkcommentaries.som (May 19, 2024)

U.S. Churches and Religious Groups Demand Ending of U.S. Designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

In a May 9, 2024, letter to the U.S. Department of State 20 U.S. churches and religious groups called for the U.S. to end its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.[1] This letter made the following points:

“We write to express our deep concern regarding the plight of the Cuban people. The combined effects of failed U.S. foreign policies and Cuban economic policies have created dire humanitarian conditions on the island.”
“Among these are widespreadshortages of food and medicine, as well as a critical lack of energy resulting in near-daily power outages across Cuba. Hospitals are in special need of relief, as medical supplies of all kinds are critically short.”
“In addition, economic desperation has been a major factor in a recent and unprecedented surge in migration from Cuba to other countries. While these include Spain and other nations in Spanish-speaking Latin America, far and away the principal destination has been the United States. Since 2021, more than 500,000 Cubans have sought refuge in the U.S., a figure approximating 5% of the island nation’s population.”
The U.S. decision to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism “was a gross mistake and has had a hugely detrimental effect on the Cuban people and the ability of our partners to serve them.” More specifically, the listing “has led banks, financial institutions and international suppliers to withdraw support for regular trade and collaboration with religious groups providing humanitarian aid to Cuba.”
“As a result, the ability ofour denominations and faith-based organizations to offer crucial assistance and financial aid to Cuban partners has been severely limited, with financial institutions freezing funds allocated for religious and humanitarian activities.”
“The current U.S. policy of strangling Cuban society with an economic embargo to force them to overthrow their government is morally unacceptable and antithetical to our faith, as well as (to) basic human rights principles.”
“We urge you to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and take steps toward ending the economic embargo and normalizing relations with Cuba. Let us stand together to relieve the suffering of the Cuban people, help them to prosper in their own country, and seek to include them fully in the family of nations.” (Emphasis added.)

The Signers of the Letter

The signers of this letter were the National Council of Churches, Church World Service, Pax Christi USA, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Methodist Church, Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Friends Committee on National Legislation, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Church of the Brethren, the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Home Mission Societies and Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America.

Conclusion

As a member of Minneapolis’ Westminster Presbyterian Church, which belongs to the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) denomination and which has partnerships with a Presbyterian-Reformed Cuban church and a related Cuban seminary,[2] I am pleased to see that our denomination is one of the signers of this letter, and its statement about this letter referred to its “ties to the Cuban religious communities and the Cuban people” and stated that we have “deep concern for the effects that current U.S. policy is having across Cuba – on our Cuban partners and the general population. . . . In particular, the continued listing of Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) list has led to great suffering among our Cuban partners and the Cuban people. We urge you to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and seek a path toward normalization in our nation’s relationship with the Cuban people and government.” (Emphasis added.)

I concur.

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[1] Baptist News Global, Church bodies press Biden on Cuba, (May 13, 2024).;PCUSA Joins 20 faith groups calling for Cuba to be taken off State Sponsors of Terrorism List, (March 13, 2023 [sic].

[2] See, e.g., these posts to dwkcommentaries.com: Minneapolis Westminster Presbyterian Church’ Connections with Cuba (Jan. 13, 2015); The Ridiculous U.S. Designation of Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” (May 20, 2011); U.S. Stupidity and Cowardice in Continuing To Designate Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” (May 6, 2014); President Obama Rescinds U.S. Designation of Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism“ (April 15, 2015).

More Thoughts on U.S. Low Fertility Rate

A previous post discussed the issues arising out of the recent record low fertility rate in the U.S.[1] A more recent article added additional thoughts on this development.[2]

First, recent Gallup polling data shows that 45% of respondents said three or more kids was ideal, the highest level since 1971. And American teenage and adult women for decades have desired more kids much higher than the actual fertility rates. That suggests the U.S. should help women achieve the family size they want.

Second, a population that fails to replace itself can face serious challenges. It can lead to stagnant or declining living standards. It also means fewer workers are available to care for the growing elderly population and pay for its retirement benefits. Already the typical American senior citizen receives more Social Security and Medicare payments than they paid into the system. This problem will worsen as the ratio of retirees to working-age Americans grows.

In fact, this last problem is worse than government numbers suggest because they assume a higher future fertility rate than we have been experiencing.

As a result, the U.S. should adopt policies like mandatory paid maternity leave, lower tax burden for families with young kids, improved access to reproductive care and abortions in emergencies. Of course, increased immigration is another solution.

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[1] U.S. Fertility Rate Falls to Record Low, dwkcommentaries.com (April 25, 2024).

[2] Rampell, Americans are having too few kids. The GOP made the problem worse, Wash. Post (May 1, 2024).

U.S. and Cuba Dispute Existence of Legitimate Cuban Private Business Sector

At a January 18, congressional hearing, U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (Rep., FL), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, said that claims that a private sector exists on the island were likely “a new scheme from the regime which is desperate for millions of dollars to violate the American market.” Later at that hearing, she voiced some scepticism about such a claim.[1]

The next day, Cuba’s vice minister for the economy, Johana Odriozola, disputed that contention. She said, “Nobody in their right mind can talk about something that really exists being a myth. We are not talking about something small; we are talking about more than 10,000 micro, small, and medium-sized companies.”

In addition, Johana Tablada, currently number two at Cuba’s foreign ministry’s department handling U.S. affairs, also questioned the premise of the congressional hearing in a lengthy tirade against U.S. policies toward the island and personal attacks against Salazar. . . . Tablada said the Cuban government would not allow the U.S. government to use the private sector to meddle in Cuba’s internal affairs but said the government is “serious when it says it supports this sector’s development.”

Although the Cuban government has imposed various restrictions on these enterprises, [2]“the private sector, which also comprises self-employed workers and some cooperatives, now employs 35% of all Cuban workers — more than those employed in state-owned companies.”

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[1] Torres, Cuba pushes back against claims in Congress that its private sector is a myth,’ Miami Herald (Jan. 25, 2024); U.S. House Hearing on Cuban Private Enterprise, dwkcommentaries.com (Jan. 20, 2024).

[2] Torres, Resisting reforms, Cuba announces price hikes and new restrictions on the private sector, Miami Herald (Jan. 10, 2024); Torres, As the economy craters, the Cuban government hits private-sector workers with tax hike, Miami Herald (Jan. 18, 2024)

U.S. Increasing Exports to Cuba

In 2022 the U.S. had exports to Cuba of $391,296,000, making the U.S. the sixth largest such exporter.[1]

In the first eleven months of 2023, such exports totaled $297,377,457, which is higher than the $289,143,160 for the same period of 2022.

These exports include many food products: eggs, chicken, pork, black beans, cocoa, decafinated roasted coffee, fresh cheese, rice, waffles, children’s preparations, unfermented juices, ice cream, microwave-safe popcorn, soy sauce, gelatin, and mineral water.

Other such exports are detergents, soap, bidets, toilet paper, towels, equipment scaffolding, electric stoves, an ambulance that cost $78,590, air conditioners, $1,935,107 in used vehicles, $212,938 in trucks, $100,000 in motorcycles, front loaders and air conditioning generators.

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[1] Reyes, Not only does the chicken that Cubans eat come from the US, now so do the eggs, Diario de Cuba (Jan. 11, 2024).

Migrants from All Over Flocking to U.S.

For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, arrests at the U.S. Southwest border of migrants from China, India, Mauritania, Senegal, Russia and other distant countries tripled to 214,000. This is a special challenge for the U.S. because deporting them is “time-consuming, expensive and sometimes not possible.” As a result, the U.S. is actively working on obtaining agreements for removal of such immigrants with such countries.[1]

In Mexico an international smuggling ring works with a network of other smugglers handling migrants from Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, Uzbekistan, Egypt and India.

For the second year in a row total arrests at the U.S. southern border surpassed two million, almost 90% of whom are from Latin America and the Caribbean.

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[1] Perez, Migrants Are Flocking to the U.S. From All Over the Globe, W.S.J. (Nov. 4, 2023).

100,000+ Cubans Obtain Humanitarian Parole in U.S.

As of the end of September, more than 100,000 Cubans had obtained humanitarian parole in U.S. [1]

In addition, the U.S. has opened a new Safe Mobility Office in Ecuador where Cubans and others may submit U.S. asylum applications. Under the ‘Safe Mobility’ program, eligible refugees and migrants will be considered for refugee and humanitarian admission programs, and other avenues for legal admission to the United States or other countries that may offer these opportunities.” This program is supported by UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other relevant partners.

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[1] More than 100,000 Cubans benefit from the humanitarian parole established in the US, Diario de Cuba (Oct. 23, 2023); U.S. Customs & Border Protection, CBP Releases September 2023 Monthly Update Oct. 21, 2023);The US will open an office in Ecuador to process cases of migrants from the region, EFE Agency (Oct. 19, 2023); U.S. State Dep’t, Announcement of Safe Mobility Office in Ecuador (Oct. 19, 2023); General information about the ‘Safe Mobility’ program.

Increased U.S. Food Exports to Cuba

For August 2023, U.S. food and agricultural product exports to Cuba increased 35.8%, which is 17.9% higher than the eighth month of 2022, which placed the Island as the 52nd market of those U.S. exports.[1]

According to Cuban economist Pedro Montreal, the chicken exports, both in value and tons, reached all-time records. Other U.S. food exports were pork, rice, puddings, grapes, coffee, coffee extract, cookies, waffles and wafers, beer, palm oil, hams, pasta, corn chips, yeast, carbonated soft drinks, salt, and sugar.

For the eight months ending in August, according to the Cuba-US Economic and Commercial Council, Cuban purchases in the US totaled 232,487,283 dollars, $35 million more than the $197,037,244 in the same period of 2022.

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[1] Chicken exports from the US to Cuba reach records in August . . . who do they reach?, Diario de Cuba (Oct. 10, 2023).