Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s appeal for collective Caribbean action on Cuba has prompted a pointed response from a U.S. lawmaker, who warned that Jamaica will “face the consequences.”
Holness, speaking Tuesday at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, urged Caribbean leaders to confront the humanitarian and economic challenges facing Cuba, warning that instability there could spill across the region.
“We must address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage,” Holness said, noting that Cubans are grappling with severe economic hardship, energy shortages and mounting humanitarian strain.
Holness, the outgoing CARICOM chair, said Jamaica’s position is rooted in both solidarity and pragmatism. He highlighted Cuba’s decades-long contribution of doctors and teachers across the Caribbean, including Jamaica, but cautioned that a prolonged crisis would not remain contained within the island.
“A prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba. It will affect migration, security, and economic stability across the Caribbean Basin. It is, therefore, important that we carefully consider this matter and take collective action,” he said.
At the same time, Holness underscored Jamaica’s support for democratic governance and open-market principles.
“Let there be no doubt. Jamaica stands firmly for democracy, human rights, political accountability, and open-market based economies. We do not believe that long-term stability can exist where economic freedom is constrained and political participation is limited,” he said, adding that sustainable prosperity requires openness “to ideas, to enterprise, to investment, and to the will of the people.”
In a post on X sharing video of his address, Holness said Jamaica must “speak plainly” about what is happening in Cuba, describing the island as a Caribbean neighbour whose doctors and teachers have supported countries across the region for decades. He said Jamaica’s histories are intertwined with Cuba’s and stressed that the Government is “sensitive to the struggles of the Cuban people,” many of whom are facing serious economic hardship, energy shortages and widening humanitarian challenges.
He reiterated that while Jamaica stands in solidarity with the Cuban people, it must also recognise that a prolonged crisis could impact migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Holness added that lasting stability comes when people have opportunity, a voice in their governance, and the freedom to build and invest, and called for responsible leadership and constructive dialogue — particularly between Cuba and the United States — to ease tensions and promote reform and stability.
That appeal drew a sharp rebuke from Florida Republican Congressman Carlos A. Giménez, who quoted the prime minister’s video and wrote: “I harshly condemn this & find it lamentable that the JLP would cover-up for the moribund dictatorship in #Cuba, when the Castro regime repeatedly intervened in #Jamaica’s politics to exacerbate partisan tensions & undermine the JLP! Jamaica will face the consequences!”
🚨I harshly condemn this & find it lamentable that the JLP would cover-up for the moribund dictatorship in #Cuba, when the Castro regime repeatedly intervened in #Jamaica’s politics to exacerbate partisan tensions & undermine the JLP!
Jamaica will face the consequences! https://t.co/wJahLrYLQw
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) February 25, 2026
Giménez, who represents Florida’s 28th Congressional District, was born in Havana in 1954 and immigrated to the United States with his family following the Cuban Revolution. A Republican, he previously served as mayor of Miami-Dade County before being elected to Congress.
Holness did not call for regime change in Cuba but signalled what he described as a moment for “principled realism” within CARICOM — balancing regional solidarity with a push for reform and accountability.
“This is not a moment for division in our community. It is a moment for maturity, for principled realism, and if we act wisely, for positive change in our hemisphere,” he said.
The exchange underscores the sensitivity of U.S.–Caribbean relations when it comes to Cuba, particularly at a time when economic pressures on the island are intensifying and migration remains a shared regional concern.
