U.S. and Catholic Relief Services Launch First Humanitarian Flight to Cuba Amid Secretary Rubio’s $100 Million Aid Pledge

On July 21, Jeremy Lewin, Senior Official for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, and Viviana Bovo, Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, accompanied Catholic Relief Services in Miami to dispatch the inaugural humanitarian flight under Secretary Rubio’s landmark $100 million aid pledge for Cuba. The flight aims to alleviate hardship faced by Cubans enduring the Communist regime’s corruption, repression, and economic mismanagement.

This initiative expands on last year’s collaboration between the Department, CRS, and Caritas Cuba, which delivered $9 million in aid after Hurricane Melissa. The current flight carries pre‑packaged food and hygiene kits sufficient for up to 700 Cuban families. CRS will distribute the kits together with the Catholic Church and Caritas Cuba on the ground. By leveraging local parish networks—as proven effective in the prior effort—U.S. assistance will reach ordinary Cubans directly, minimizing the risk of diversion or theft by the regime.

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