US imposed 2-week deadline during secret Cuba meeting
US imposed 2-week deadline during secret Cuba meeting
Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY Mon, April 20, 2026 at 1:01 AM UTC
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. has given Cuba two weeks to release high-profile political prisoners in a sign of good faith.
The demand was presented during a secret meeting on April 10 in Cuba, according to a source familiar with the discussion.
Some of the names floated for release included Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, dissident artists from the San Isidro movement who were sentenced in 2022.
In a statement to USA TODAY, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration remains committed to the release of all political prisoners, including Alcántara and Osorbo.
The spokesperson pointed to Trump's remarks at an April 17 rally that a "new dawn for Cuba" is coming and said the regime should stop playing games as direct talks are occurring. The Cuban government has a small window to make a deal, the person said.
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A senior State Department delegation traveled to Cuba on April 10 for talks with the government, a State Department official confirmed to USA TODAY. A senior State Department official also had a separate meeting with former Cuban leader Raul Castro's grandson during the visit, the person said.
It was the first time that a U.S. government plane had landed in Cuba since 2016. Axios was the first news outlet to report that the meetings took place.
The officials told the Cuban government that the island's economy is in free fall and its ruling elites had a narrow window to make reforms before circumstances irreversibly worsen, the State Department official said. The person said that Trump is committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution, if one is possible, but will not let allow the island to collapse into what he views as a major national security threat, if Cuba’s leaders are unwilling or unable to act.
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At the meeting, the U.S. proposed to bring Starlink's high-speed internet services to Cuba. But the officials said Havana needs to enact reforms that will make Cuba's economy more competitive and attractive to foreign investment. They also pushed for compensation of Americans and American-owned businesses that had their property confiscated and a lifting of constraints on political freedoms.
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Released prisoner Roelvis Saname, 26, leaves La Lima penitentiary as part of the amnesty for more than 2,000 prisoners that the communist-run government has announced amid talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Havana, Cuba, April 3, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
It was after that meeting that Castro's grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, tapped a Cuban businessman to personally bring a letter to the White House, bypassing official channels.
The man, Roberto Carlos Chamizo González, was intercepted in Miami, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Tensions have been escalating between the U.S. and Havana for weeks, with Trump warning of the potential for a hostile takeover. After capturing Venezuela's leader in January, the Trump administration tightened longstanding sanctions and oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader campaign to force sweeping political changes on the communist-run island. Already mired in a severe economic crisis, the near-total blockade is pushing the country toward collapse.
In recent weeks, Trump has said he believed he'd have the "honor of taking Cuba" and the U.S. "may stop by Cuba" after it finishes with Iran.
The U.S. has signaled in recent days that Trump is still weighing his options. USA TODAY reported on April 15 that military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba was quietly ramping up, in case Trump gives the order to intervene. A U.S. military surveillance drone was later spotted flying near Cuba.
Asked about the Pentagon planning on Air Force One on April 17, Trump cryptically told a reporter on April 17: "Well, it depends on what your definition of military action is."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump officials gave Cuba 2-week deadline in secret meeting
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