South Miami-Dade News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) sent letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding answers on how Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, a known Castro regime agent, was granted a visa and allowed entry into the United States on August 15, 2024.

Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, a member of Fidel Castro’s "coordination and support team" and a deputy of the Cuban National Assembly, was granted a visa by the Biden-Harris Administration. Despite his affiliation with the Cuban Communist Party, administration policies did not identify his involvement in the Castro regime's human rights violations.

Records obtained by the Judiciary Committee reveal discrepancies in Menéndez Castellanos's visa application and background checks. The review did not flag him as inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which states that applicants affiliated with Communist or totalitarian parties are inadmissible into the United States. The letter demands information on Castellanos’s case, including his alien-file, details of his U.S. entries, and explanations for vetting lapses.

Excerpts from the letter sent to Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas state: "On August 15, 2024, Manuel Menéndez Castellanos... entered the United States at Miami International Airport through ‘a family reunification process.’ According to press reports... Menéndez Castellanos ‘joined the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) and was later promoted to First Secretary of the Communist Party in Cienfuegos...’ Menéndez Castellanos ‘also represented the Cuban regime in international events.’"

The letter continues: "Menéndez Castellanos’s entry into the United States raises serious questions about the Biden-Harris Administration’s application of federal immigration law... Under INA... an alien is inadmissible if they ‘are or have been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party.’ According to records obtained by the Committee... advanced background vetting did not find any information that made him inadmissible under INA."

Further concerns were raised regarding exceptions to INA's grounds for inadmissibility: "It does not appear that exceptions were invoked... Instead... officials seemingly ignored Menéndez Castellanos’s own admission as to his affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba."

The letter concludes by underscoring perceived failures in national security policy: "The Biden-Harris Administration’s inexcusable admission of Menéndez Castellanos further underscores its lax approach to national security..."

Congressman Carlos Giménez represents Miami-Dade County and Florida Keys. He is notable for being Cuban-born and having fled shortly after Cuba's Communist takeover. Giménez has served as Fire Chief of Miami City and Mayor of Miami-Dade County.

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