Carlos Curbelo Calls Out Obama for Cuba Visit

U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., doubled down on his opposition to President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba on Monday, launching a petitioning effort “to demand President Obama unequivocally denounce the Castro regime’s human rights abuses.”

“President Obama is the first president in 88 years to visit Cuba," Curbelo noted. “I have been very clear from the beginning: President Obama’s trip to Cuba is a mistake. We should not legitimize the Castro’s military regime while they continue to deny their people basic human rights.

“Just yesterday, authorities arrested more than 50 Ladies in White (or Damas de Blanco) for protesting the ruthless and violent nature of the Castro regime,” Curbelo added. “With Cuba in the spotlight, President Obama has a chance to condemn this and other abuses carried out by the Castro regime.

“President Obama has been tiptoeing around the issue,” Curbelo concluded. “I am calling on him to step up and boldly criticize the Castro regime.”