President Trump’s administration is tightening the screws on Cuba’s communist regime.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that the State Department has designated 11 Cuban government officials and three security agencies for sanctions.
The targets include Cuba’s Directorate of Intelligence, the Revolutionary National Police, and the Ministry of Interior.
‼️ @SecRubio says he has designated 11 Cuban regime elites & 3 government organizations, including government officials and military figures associated with Cuba’s security apparatus, for their responsibility in repressing the Cuban people.
— Hiba Nasr (@HibaNasr) May 18, 2026
The Associated Press reported on the new designations:
The State Department imposed a new layer of sanctions on several Cuban government agencies.
The targeted agencies included the Interior Ministry, the National Police, and the Intelligence Directorate as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure against the island.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday he had also designated 11 Cuban government officials for sanctions.
Those officials included the ministers of justice, energy and mines, and communications.
The list also included the chief of staff of the Cuban army and the chief of staff of military counterintelligence.
The sanctions block any assets that they may have or that come into contact with the U.S. financial system.
Many of those designated had already been subject to U.S. sanctions.
The new action adds the Cuba-focused sanctions authority to a larger pressure campaign.
“These sanctions advance the Trump administration’s comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba’s communist regime and to hold accountable both the regime and those who provide it material support,” Rubio said in a statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 18 new sanctions against several Cuban government agencies and senior officials to address “repression in Cuba and threats to U.S. national security.”
“I designated 11 Cuban regime elites and three government organizations,… pic.twitter.com/zHZ1xTOsh2
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) May 19, 2026
The sanctioned officials include some of the most powerful figures in the Cuban security state.
Local 10 detailed who made the list:
President Donald Trump’s administration announced new sanctions on Monday against a group of top Cuban Communist Party officials.
The U.S. State Department announced designating 11 “regime-aligned elites” associated with Cuba’s security apparatus.
The move also targeted three Cuban government bodies: the Directorate of Intelligence of Cuba, also known as DGI or G2; the Revolutionary National Police of Cuba, or PNP; and the Ministry of Interior of Cuba, or MININT.
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also released the list.
It included Eugenio Armando Rabilero Aguilera, Raul Cuba Villar Kessel, and Joaquin Quintas Sola.
The list also included Jose Miguel Gomez Del Vallin, Cuba’s chief of staff of military counterintelligence.
The others sanctioned were Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba’s minister of energy and mines; Rosabel Gamon Verde, Cuba’s minister of justice; and Mayra Arevich Marin, the minister of communications.
Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez, the president of Cuba’s National Assembly, and Dr. Roberto Tomas Morales Ojeda, secretary of the party’s Organization of the Central Committee, were also listed.
A State Department spokesperson signaled more pressure is ahead.
“The United States will continue to take action to counter the Cuban regime, those furthering its goals, and those abroad enabling the elites to profit while the Cuban people suffer,” the spokesperson said.
Cuba’s communist dictatorship sits 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
Rubio is signaling that more designations are coming as the Trump administration targets the regime’s security and intelligence apparatus.
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