Squad members Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal led their fellow Democratic colleagues on a secret trip to the communist country of Cuba last week.
It was only confirmed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus after the Miami Herald caught wind of it and published a story about it. They claimed it was for ‘human rights.’
Here’s more:
A delegation of the U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus traveled to Cuba last week in a trip that has not previously been disclosed by the legislators nor reported in Cuban state media.
The group of about a dozen people was led by Democratic U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal of the state of Washington and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. It included a congressional staffer from the office of California Rep. Barbara Lee’s office, sources with knowledge of the trip told the Miami Herald.
Jayapal and Omar, members of the informal left-wing group of lawmakers known as “the squad,” did not reply to emails and messages seeking comment. Lee’s office also did not reply to a request for comment.
After the Herald published this story, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, comprising more than 100 lawmakers and chaired by Jayapal, confirmed the trip.
“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” said a Caucus spokesperson.
Jayapal and Omar have been vocal critics of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and have supported bills to normalize relations with the island’s communist government. They were among the 40 Democrats who voted against a symbolic resolution supporting peaceful demonstrators who protested against the Cuban government in July 2021 and “calling for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.”
In January, Jayapal urged the Biden administration to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism, a decision made in the last days of Donald Trump’s time in office that she said had “devastated” the island’s economy.
What is the allure of Cuba to far left Democrats? Oh right, communism. They love it.