Democratic Socialists of America accuses Marco Rubio of ‘genocide’ in pro-Castro screed

Since entering the White House in January 2025, the Trump administration significantly intensified pressure on Cuba, targeting the communist government’s access to money, fuel, and international commerce.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest socialist organization in the United States, issued a recent statement condemning US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for orchestrating a “genocide” in Cuba, intensifying concerns that left-wing and anti-Israel political groups have eroded the significance of the term in discourse.

The controversy erupted last week after the DSA published a tribute marking the anniversary of the late Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday, portraying him as a symbol of anti-imperialist resistance and self-determination.

The organization also accused the Trump administration of intentionally inflicting severe harm on Cuban civilians through its policies toward Havana.

“Fidel was an organizer, a fighter, and endures as a stalwart symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and self-determination for the Global South. DSA has a long history of solidarity with the Cuban people, their revolution, and their self-determination,” the tribute said,

The DSA went further by accusing Rubio of genocide and calling for his prosecution for alleged crimes against humanity.

The group also demanded an end to the US pressure campaign against Cuba’s communist regime, along with normalized relations and reparations.

“We choose this historic day to recommit ourselves to acting in solidarity with the Cuban people and to starkly opposing Marco Rubio’s genocidal war against the Cuban people and US imperialism writ large,” the group said.

“The Trump administration, under the leadership of Marco Rubio, is waging an indiscriminate war against the Cuban people and killing women, children, and babies by illegally blockading critical resources from the Caribbean nation. By intentionally imposing conditions calculated to kill a civilian population, Marco Rubio is leading a genocide,” the DSA added.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) subsequently issued a warning to Democrats that their party could face significant political consequences amid the DSA’s rising influence within their party.

The Republican Party said that the statement served as evidence that prominent elements of the American political left remain sympathetic to authoritarian communist regimes.

“Democrats are openly embracing the same policies that left the people of Venezuela, Cuba, and China with empty shelves, no electricity, and their freedoms stripped away,” RNC National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre said.

She argued that the ideology represented by the DSA would be politically disastrous for Democrats heading into the November elections.

Rubio, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba, has repeatedly condemned Castro’s rule.

In a statement marking the anniversary of Castro’s death, Rubio described the former Cuban leader as responsible for destroying Cuba and for the imprisonment and deaths of Cubans.

Since entering the White House in January 2025, the Trump administration significantly intensified pressure on Cuba, targeting the communist government’s access to money, fuel, and international commerce in an effort to force changes in Havana’s policies.

The administration has tightened restrictions on tourism and remittances, expanded sanctions against Cuban military and government-linked businesses, maintained Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, and imposed financial and visa restrictions on senior officials.

The administration has also taken the unusual step of threatening countries that supply Cuba with oil with additional US tariffs, seeking to limit one of the island’s most critical economic lifelines.

The White House condemned the DSA’s characterization of US policy toward Cuba. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly instead defended Rubio’s approach, saying the administration wants to reset the relationship with the Cuban people.

“The Cuban regime exemplifies everything that’s wrong with communism as its population suffers from food shortages, blackouts, poor standards of living, and egregious human rights abuses,” Kelly stated.

“Secretary Rubio wants a better future for the Cuban people, and the United States is ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our two countries. The only thing standing in the way are those who control Cuba for their own gain,” she continued.

The political significance of the DSA controversy, however, extends beyond Cuba.

Republicans are attempting to use the group’s statements to portray the Democratic Party as increasingly influenced by socialist politics and hostile toward traditionally anti-communist constituencies, particularly Cuban Americans and other Latino voters.

The DSA, which counts members of the US Congress among its ranks, has previously opposed American military aid to Israel and expressed support for Iran and its terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

The organization has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” and has issued praise of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre throughout Israel.

The group outlines the complete destruction of Israel as one of its primary goals.

The DSA has also recently fielded a series of successful insurgent Democratic primary campaigns, including those of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the victors of recent New York congressional primaries: Darializa Chevalier and Claire Valdez.

In Colorado, the DSA-backed Melat Kiros prevailed over a long-term incumbent.

However, the DSA remains widely polarizing among the general electorate.

Polling indicates that the general public holds deeply skeptical views of socialism and the DSA as an organization, indicating that the increasing embrace of the far-left organization by the Democratic Party might result in an electoral cost in the fall.