Homeland Security gave a delegation from Cuba a look behind the curtain at airport operations at Miami International Airport, in a move critics say may have given the hostile communist regime inside information on security protocols.
Diario Las Americas reported that the delegation was given a tour of the Transportation Security Administration’s facilities at the airport, including where the agency has new X-ray technology.
TSA acknowledged the visit but cast it as normal international cooperation.
“The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) routinely works with all countries with direct flights to the United States. TSA hosts government officials and members of the aviation community at U.S. airports to foster a strong global aviation security posture,” the agency said in a statement.
Officials said they work with Cuba to “jointly manage the airspace” between the countries, which includes reciprocal visits to study best practices. Miami International is one of eight U.S. airports that have direct flights to Cuba.
TSA said the Cuban delegation didn’t have access to “sensitive technology or systems,” but instead got a general overview of security operations so Cuban officials can make improvements to their operations.
TSA said similar visits at Miami’s airport have been made by Antigua, Barbados, Spain and Brazil.
But Emilio Gonzalez, former CEO of the airport, said Cuba isn’t like those other nations.
It is on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, along with Syria, Iran, and North Korea. Mr. Gonzalez said he couldn’t figure out why a delegation from one of those countries should be given special access.
“Nobody in their right mind, no federal employee, would approve this unless they had top cover at the highest levels,” he said. “You do not invite a country as a state sponsor of terrorism to visit any installation, let alone a sensitive airport, as is Miami International Airport.”
Mr. Gonzalez, who also ran U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Bush administration, said the delegation may have been able to get a close-up look at the layout of the airport, how it’s staffed, technology and employees’ identities.
“These are all things that intelligence officers live for,” said Mr. Gonzalez, who said it’s likely Cuba had intelligence operatives in the delegation.
TSA said the visit was coordinated with the State Department.
Mr. Gonzalez said the visit is part of a Biden administration effort to force normalization of relations with Cuba. Last week, the government took Cuba off its list of countries that are less than cooperative in counter-terrorism efforts — though it remains on the state sponsors list.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.