Florida Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (R) released a statement accusing the Cuban regime of stealing U.S. property and assets and turning them over to companies to use.
“The regime in Cuba has stolen properties, enriched itself while unscrupulous companies benefit from the confiscation of those assets, and denied justice to its victims, all while brutally repressing its people and opposing the interests of the United States at every opportunity,” Díaz-Balart said.
The Congressman is leading a bipartisan coalition alongside Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), María Elvira Salazar (R), Carlos A. Giménez (R), Lois Frankel (D), and New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R), who are urging the Supreme Court to uphold Title III of the LIBERTAD Act.
The LIBERTAD Act empowers people whose property the Castro regime confiscated to sue companies that knowingly used and trafficked in those stolen assets. The coalition’s brief urges the Court to ensure that these property owners can fully pursue justice in U.S. courts, exactly as Congress intended when it passed the law in 1996.
“Congress enacted the LIBERTAD Act to hold the anti-American Cuban regime accountable for its crimes and ensure that those whose properties were stolen by the Castro regime have a legal avenue for justice," Díaz-Balart said in a press conference. "It also puts foreign companies on notice that they would be held accountable for profiting from stolen property while enriching the Castro regime. I am proud to lead this bipartisan amicus brief alongside my colleagues to defend the rule of law, protect U.S. property rights, and support the victims of the Cuban dictatorship’s criminal conduct.”
Previously, four cruise ship companies moored their ships at the Havana Docks, facilities the Cuban regime had confiscated and profited from the tourism demand to visit Cuba.
The Cuba cruises collectively generated more than $1 billion in revenue, while the regime also profited from confiscated property. In court documents, the cruise lines admitted to paying the regime more than $130 million in fees and taxes.
