At the start of this year, President Donald Trump and his administration used military action to remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from power.
Since then, Maduro’s ouster has had a major impact on another Latin American country dominated by communist dictators — Cuba. Since Maduro’s removal, the U.S. has seized control of much of the country’s oil production and has cut that line of profit off from the communist regime. As a result, the island has been plunged into economic turmoil and a blackout lasting 29 hours.
Despite the turmoil abroad, many Cubans — myself included — are hoping that this will have a domino effect and lead to the end of the regime. If the Trump administration were to take over Cuba, as negotiations between the two countries continue, the nation could become a territory.
This would allow for guaranteed rights for people on the island, but also allow for greater defense of the Western Hemisphere and add increased border stability.
Territory Cuba
Cuba was briefly under the watchful eye of the U.S. following the Spanish-American War. However, the island left this relationship in 1902 to become an independent republic, still with U.S. oversight, under the Platt Amendment — which would allow the U.S. to have the right to intervene in the island. They lost that right in 1934, when the two countries signed a Treaty of Relations, a legal agreement establishing a relationship between two nations.
Looking ahead to well over a century later, the totalitarian rule of Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Castros proves that the communist experiment failed its people. If Cuba were to have a territorial status like Guam and Puerto Rico, it could give the country a new life.
Establishing Cuba as a U.S. territory would grant Cubans on the island immediate rights under the U.S. constitution and likely mean citizenship for all. This means the release of all political prisoners, protections of free speech and multi-party, competitive elections — a reversal of more than 60 years of violation of basic human rights by the regime.
Defense of the Western Hemisphere
A cornerstone of the second Trump administration has been the defense of the Western Hemisphere. Following Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump spoke heavily of what he refers to as the “Don-Roe” doctrine — his take on the famous Monroe Doctrine.
Like the Monroe Doctrine, which spoke of President James Monroe’s desire for the United States to have major influence in the Western Hemisphere, Trump has applied what he calls “Trump Corollary” to expand U.S. influence.
This plan would allow for the U.S. to work with allies in the region, or effectively seize control of them, to stop drug trafficking, illegal immigration and protect the region.
With rumors of China having immense influence in Cuba and the country having been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the Biden and Trump administrations, putting this piece into the U.S.’s deck of cards would prevent undue influence by China, as they could pose a threat — especially with it being just 90 miles from Florida.
That close proximity could foster any kind of disaster including a migration crisis if the island does not become a territory.
“Any U.S. administration, Republican or Democrat, is not going to want to have an unstable situation, 90 miles from its shores,” Dr. Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies UM said.
Border stability
The systemic economic mismanagement and political repression in Cuba has driven millions into exile from the island. In recent years, over a million people from Cuba arrived in the U.S. and the majority of them arrived here in South Florida. Some people have come through the Temporary Protected Status program for refugees and some have come illegally. This has created unprecedented waves of migration across the Florida straits and the U.S. southern border, straining coast guard resources and overwhelming immigration courts.
By stabilizing Cuba internally and injecting American capital, the U.S. would address a root cause of this crisis. Cubans would no longer need to risk their lives on makeshift rafts and dodging police if they have the opportunity to prosper safely at home.
Critics will say that this idea is radical and would be a violation of international law. While those concerns may be valid and rooted in the complex history of U.S. intervention in Latin America, which is marked by Cold War-era proxy wars and Washington backed coups from Guatemala to Chile. For over a century, the fear of “Yankee Imperialism” has defined the region’s relationship with the United States.
However, past missteps should not blind us to present emergencies, and state sovereignty should not be used as a permanent shield for a regime to starve and oppress its own people in the dark.
If the negotiations between Washington and Havana continue and if it yields a peaceful democratic transition, Cuban exiles who have waited over sixty years to see their homeland freed may get their wish. Becoming a U.S. territory might just be the hard reality that finally brings liberty to the island.