US sends food for Cuban residents while still pressuring island's
government
[July 22, 2026]
By DANIEL KOZIN and DAVID FISCHER
MIAMI (AP) — A Cuba-bound cargo plane carrying food and hygiene kits
left Miami on Tuesday under U.S. efforts to give direct assistance to
the island's residents while continuing to pressure their government.
The flight carrying 700 packages is meant to bypass the Cuban
government, with the items distributed directly to the Cuban people by
Catholic groups in Cuba, according to the U.S. State Department.
Tuesday’s shipment is a $60 million first tranche of a total of $100
million the U.S. offered to Cuba some time ago. It comes after months of
intensified U.S. pressure on the Cuban government and government-related
institutions that has focused mainly on imposing significant sanctions
against the country’s military and intelligence apparatus. The
imposition of an energy and oil blockade has practically paralyzed the
Cuban economy and the daily lives of people on the island.
The latest iteration of this was a lengthy document released by the
State Department on Monday accusing Cuba of running a vast espionage and
left-wing influence operation in the United States over the past five
decades.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, has taken a
personal interest in pushing Cuba to make changes to its socialist
system, while President Donald Trump has on several occasions suggested
that the U.S. could take military action to topple the island’s
communist government.
Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s senior official for foreign
assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, said the
partnership builds upon a program that last year delivered $9 million in
direct support to the island following Hurricane Melissa.
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People load pallets containing food and hygiene kits for a
humanitarian assistance flight to Cuba organized by the Trump
administration as the U.S. continues to put pressure on the island's
government, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
He said challenges have included convincing the Cuban government to
allow the aid’s distribution and agree not to intercept and take it
for themselves. Lewin said that since local priests and Catholic
groups are distributing the assistance directly, “there’s very
little, if any, opportunity for the regime to interfere with the
delivery of the assistance.”
Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, said
he visited the island a few weeks ago to ensure accountability for
the aid's distribution.
“We’re hoping that this is one small step forward on the
humanitarian side,” Callahan said. “But hopefully we’ll bring the
people of the United States and Cuba together into the future.”
Neither the Cuban government nor its press reported on Tuesday's
humanitarian flight from the U.S.
In early July, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed the
announcements of aid that had yet to arrive as “fantasy,” while
downplaying the amount in contrast to all the losses the island
suffers daily due to the energy blockade and sanctions imposed by
the U.S.
“One hundred million dollars would certainly help, although we must
acknowledge that it only amounts to five days of the blockade,” the
foreign minister said.
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