FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Homeland and Select Committee on the CCP Republicans Request DHS Threat Assessment of CCP's Growing Malign Activity in Cuba
WASHINGTON—Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC),and Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, requesting a comprehensive threat assessment concerning the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) expanding intelligence and security collaboration with the Republic of Cuba (Cuba). At least four PRC-linked signals intelligence facilities have been established in Cuba—just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
These sites are believed to have the capability to intercept sensitive communications, surveil U.S. defense operations, and prepare the electromagnetic environment for potential future exploitation. Several critical U.S. military and strategic installations fall within their potential collection range. Earlier today, Subcommittee Chairman Gimenez led a hearing with testimony from the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Dr. Ryan C. Berg, who revealed new satellite imagery of potential sites.
In the letter, Chairman Green, Chairman Moolenaar, Chairman Gimenez, Rep. Biggs, and Rep. Crane request that DHS provide a classified briefing and detailed written report on DHS’ current assessment of the threat, any known or suspected PRC infrastructure developments in Cuba, the extent of the department’s interagency coordination efforts, DHS actions to raise awareness among industry and government entities about the risks, and more. Read the full letter here.
In the letter, the members write, “Recent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies has identified at least four PRC-linked intelligence facilities in Cuba. These sites include Bejucal, Wajay, Calabazar, and El Salao, with each showing clear signs of technical upgrades. At Bejucal, new satellite dish arrays may now be capable of intercepting telemetry data from U.S. space launches. El Salao, located seventy miles from Guantánamo Bay and currently under construction, appears to be built to support a circular antenna array that would allow for broad spectrum electromagnetic surveillance. Together, these advancements reflect a calculated expansion of the PRC’s intelligence-gathering footprint in the Western Hemisphere and a long-term strategic investment by Beijing in regional power projection and asymmetric capabilities.”
The members continue, “Moreover, this activity coincides with deepening political and economic ties between Beijing and Havana. Since 2000, the PRC has provided nearly $8 billion in financing to Cuba, backing key infrastructure projects such as the Port of Santiago de Cuba and a nationwide telecommunications network largely built by Huawei and Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation, both of which have been sanctioned by the U.S. government for their roles in global surveillance and repression. The integration of these technologies into Cuba’s digital infrastructure raises the specter of regional communications exposure to PRC-linked platforms.”
The members conclude, “Recent testimony before Congress from General Dan “Razin” Caine, President Trump’s newly-confirmed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, further underscores this threat. General Caine stated that U.S. Cyber Command’s hunt-forward operations, which deploy at the invitation of foreign governments, have uncovered PRC malware implanted within Latin American networks. These discoveries within the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility reinforce longstanding concerns about the PRC’s malign cyber activity in the Western Hemisphere. Notably, reports of PRC technicians and advisors frequenting known or suspected intelligence sites in Cuba, suggests ongoing operational activity that merits sustained scrutiny by DHS and the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). If left unchecked, the PRC’s activities in Cuba could establish a forward operating base for electronic warfare, enable intelligence collection, and influence operations that directly undermine U.S. national security interests. The location of Cuba offers the PRC a platform to monitor U.S. military movements, disrupt critical communications in the event of a crisis, and shape political dynamics throughout the region to its advantage.”
Background:
In a hearing on the PRC’s strategic port investments in the Western Hemisphere in February 2025, Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security members examined the CCP’s strategic port investments in the Western Hemisphere and how these investments impact our homeland security. In the hearing, members questioned witnesses on how PRC-owned enterprises could be leveraging commercial port operations in the Western Hemisphere to project power, enable surveillance, facilitate illicit trafficking–including the smuggling of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals—and position themselves to disrupt U.S. military logistics and trade routes during a geopolitical crisis or conflict.
In June 2023, members sent a letter to the DHS and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), requesting information on the establishment of the PRC’s electronic espionage facility in Cuba. Following publication of a Wall Street Journal report revealing the agreement, John Kirby, then-spokesperson for the Biden administration’s National Security Council, said the report is ‘not accurate.’ However, less than 48 hours later, an anonymous Biden administration official confirmed to Politico that the CCP had been operating a secret facility in Cuba to conduct surveillance on the United States since at least 2019.
In a hearing on an unannounced TSA visit by Cuban officials in July 2024, members discussed the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) international operations and its interactions with adversarial foreign governments, especially with the Communist government in Cuba under the Biden administration. This hearing was held in the wake of the visit by Cuban officials in May 2024, hosted by TSA, which included a tour of Miami International Airport (MIA) and a meeting at TSA headquarters. TSA did not notify congressional leaders of the visit.
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