MIAMI (AP) 鈥� The top Justice Department prosecutor in Miami is considering criminal investigations of Cuban government officials, according to people familiar with the matter. The inquiry comes as President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of a
Jason Reding Qui帽ones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, has created a 鈥渨orking group鈥� that includes federal prosecutors and officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies to try to build cases against people connected to the Cuban government and its Communist Party, according to one of the people. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the effort.
It was not immediately clear which Cuban officials the office is targeting or what criminal charges prosecutors may be looking to bring.
The Justice Department said in a statement Friday that 鈥渇ederal prosecutors from across the country work every day to pursue justice, which includes efforts to combat transnational crime.鈥�
The effort is taking place against the backdrop of Trump鈥檚 increasingly aggressive stance against Cuba鈥檚 communist leadership.
Emboldened by the U.S. capture of Cuba鈥檚 close ally, , Trump last month said his administration was in high-level talks with officials in Havana to pursue 鈥渁 friendly takeover鈥� of the country. He repeated those claims this week, saying his attention would turn back to Cuba once the war with Iran winds down.
鈥淭hey want to make a deal so bad,鈥� Trump said of Cuba鈥檚 leadership.
While Cuba has faded from Washington鈥檚 radar as a major national security threat in recent decades, it remains a priority in the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 office in Miami, whose political, economic and cultural life is dominated by Cuban-American exiles.
The FBI field office has a dedicated Cuba group that in 2024 was instrumental in the arrest of former U.S. Ambassador Victor Manuel Rocha on stretching back to the 1970s.
In recent weeks, several Miami Republicans, in addition to Florida Sen. Rick Scott, have called on the Trump administration to reopen its criminal investigation into the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by anti-communist exiles.
In a letter to Trump on Feb. 13, lawmakers including Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez highlighted decades-old news reports indicating that former President Ra煤l Castro 鈥� the head of Cuba鈥檚 military at the time 鈥� gave the order to shoot down the unarmed Cessna aircraft.
鈥淲e believe unequivocally that Ra煤l Castro is responsible for this heinous crime,鈥� lawmakers wrote. 鈥淚t is time for him to be brought to justice.鈥�
While no indictment against Castro has been announced, Florida鈥檚 attorney general said this week that he would into the crime.
The Trump administration has also accused Cuba of not cooperating with American counterterrorism efforts, adding it alongside North Korea and Iran to a select few nations the U.S. considers state sponsors of terrorism.
The designation stems from Cuba鈥檚 harboring of U.S. fugitives and its refusal to extradite several Colombian rebel leaders while they were engaged in peace talks with the South American nation.
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Richer reported from Washington.
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