José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), shared a compelling message on Facebook this Saturday, addressing military personnel, police officers, and officials of the Cuban regime. He urged them to heed the public invitation from the CIA and collaborate with the U.S. agency in anticipation of what he foresees as the inevitable collapse of the dictatorship.
"If you are a military member, police officer, or official of the Castro-communist regime, the CIA has just given you the chance of the century. They offer you the opportunity to reach out, collaborate, and save yourself from the impending dramatic downfall of the tyranny that has inflicted so much harm on the Cuban people," Ferrer stated from Miami.
Ferrer’s remarks align with a campaign jointly orchestrated by the State Department and the CIA over recent days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly encouraged Cubans seeking to "foster positive change" to establish a "discreet partnership" with the agency.
This Saturday, the CIA took an additional step by releasing a video in Spanish, along with a seven-step guide, to help Cuban citizens securely and anonymously contact them. The agency requested that interested individuals disclose their position, location, and level of information access.
The guidelines advise using an untraceable device, avoiding regular networks, connecting via a VPN with a server outside Cuba, Russia, Iran, or China, browsing in private mode, creating a disposable email account, and deleting history after contact.
The U.S. Southern Command amplified this call, encouraging Cubans to "seize the moment" to drive political change on the island.
This initiative is part of a sustained escalation. According to revelations by The New York Times last August, the CIA established a secret unit dedicated exclusively to Cuba, elevated to "Priority 1" status alongside China, Iran, and Russia, equipped with recruitment agents, analysts, cyber operations specialists, and covert influence experts.
The regime responded with mockery. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío ridiculed the call, suggesting there must be "a lot of desperation or poverty" within the CIA to market their offers "like toothpaste."
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismissed Washington's pressures with a veiled warning: "Our coasts have beautiful beaches, but also dangerous reefs." Meanwhile, Miguel Díaz-Canel asserted that the United States has not abandoned its "ambitions of domination over Cuba."
Ferrer, who arrived in Miami in October 2025 after being released under a Vatican-mediated agreement and was subsequently detained again, has been directing similar messages to the regime's repressive forces for months. In January 2026, he issued an open letter to members of the FAR and MININT, urging them to support political change and cease repression.
The opposition leader also condemned what he called the regime's "double standards" last May after it was revealed that Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and General Ramón Romero Curbelo, head of the MININT Intelligence Directorate, met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a U.S. presidential delegation visit to Havana, while the regime incarcerates dissidents accused of being agents of that same agency.
Understanding CIA's Involvement in Cuba
What is the CIA's objective in reaching out to Cuban officials?
The CIA aims to collaborate with Cuban officials to facilitate a peaceful transition and support political change by providing them with secure means to communicate and share information.
How can Cuban citizens contact the CIA safely?
The CIA has outlined a seven-step guide for secure contact, which includes using untraceable devices, VPNs with servers outside hostile territories, and disposable email accounts, among other measures.
What has been the Cuban regime's response to the CIA's outreach?
The Cuban regime has mocked the CIA's outreach as desperate, with officials ridiculing it publicly and warning against U.S. attempts at domination.