U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz Criticizes Cuban Elite's Privileges at the United Nations

On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, strongly criticized the privileges enjoyed by Cuba's ruling elite during an event titled "Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Hides." This gathering was organized by the U.S. Permanent Mission at the UN headquarters in New York.

Presided over by Waltz, the event brought together ex-political prisoners, activists, researchers, and legislators for nearly two hours. The aim was to highlight to the international community the political oppression, corruption, and abuses perpetrated by the Cuban regime. This was strategically timed just days before the annual UN General Assembly vote on a resolution demanding the end of the U.S. embargo, scheduled for October 27 and 28.

During his speech, Waltz painted a stark contrast between the Cuban people's plight and the privileges enjoyed by the regime's elite. "What I find truly outrageous is that the regime can't provide enough energy for hospitals, schools, or people's homes, but it has enough for its prisons," he stated, according to a transcript of his remarks.

Waltz listed the alleged privileges of Cuba's ruling class: guaranteed energy for the Castro family's residential complex, a private jet transporting regime family members between Latin America and Spain, intelligence-sharing facilities with Washington's adversaries, and even a private island featuring twenty houses and its own dolphin lagoon.

"While the Cuban people endure miserable conditions, surrounded by prisons and blackouts, regime officials live in literal luxury in Spain, Europe, and countries across Latin and South America. Enough is enough," Waltz concluded.

Voices for Change

The panel featured influential voices, including José Daniel Ferrer, founder of UNPACU and a former political prisoner with over 12 years of incarceration, more than nine of which were in solitary confinement. Also present was Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, an artist and activist released after five years in prison, forced into exile in July 2026.

Other notable participants were researcher Emilio Morales, an expert on the finances of the military conglomerate GAESA; María Werlau from Cuba Archive, who denounced the surveillance and exploitation of medical mission workers; and Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who criticized Cuba's six consecutive terms on the UN Human Rights Council.

Immediate Backlash and Diplomatic Tensions

The regime's response was swift. Cuban diplomats staged a protest in the UN hallways, shouting "terrorists" and "get out of the UN" at the panelists. Ferrer reported the incident on his Facebook account: "Cuban communists just staged a protest against us at the UN."

Days earlier, Cuba's Permanent Representative, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, attempted to block the event, labeling it a "politically motivated maneuver" that violated UN internal regulations. Waltz responded bluntly to Soberón.

"If you're offended by us giving a platform to Cubans to speak about these issues, how about you stop doing them? Then we'll stop talking about them," Waltz retorted.

This event is part of an ongoing diplomatic escalation. International support for the Cuban resolution against the embargo has plummeted—from 187 votes in 2024 to 165 in October 2025, and to just 136 in the special session of July 2026, marking the lowest in over a decade. The upcoming vote on October 28 comes with over 1,000 signatures from activists and Cuban organizations urging democratic governments to vote against or abstain.