JUST IN: President Donald Trump's Department of Justice Heading to Indict and Arrest Former President Raul Castro
The United States is reportedly taking steps toward indicting former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to reports citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The potential indictment would reportedly require approval from a grand jury and would center on the February 1996 incident that left four people dead after Cuban fighter jets shot down two Cessna aircraft.
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A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the reported effort.
The move comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba, including threats of steep tariffs targeting countries that export oil to the island, worsening Cuba’s ongoing energy shortages.
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President Donald Trump has also publicly pushed for major reforms in Cuba as tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate.
The 1996 incident remains one of the most controversial confrontations between the United States and Cuba in the post-Cold War era.
Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based exile group that conducted flights searching for Cubans attempting to flee the island by raft.
In February 1996, two of the group’s aircraft were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet.
An investigation by the Organization of American States concluded the planes were destroyed outside Cuban airspace and found Cuba violated international law by using lethal force without warning or sufficient justification.
Then-President Bill Clinton condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”
Cuban officials have long defended the shootdown, arguing the aircraft violated Cuban airspace and posed a security threat.
At the time of the incident, Fidel Castro was Cuba’s leader, while Raul Castro oversaw the armed forces.
Fidel Castro later said the military acted under his general orders to prevent incursions into Cuban territory.
One individual, Gerardo Hernandez, was convicted in the United States on conspiracy charges related to the shootdown after prosecutors alleged he helped pass intelligence to Cuban authorities.
He was later released as part of a 2014 prisoner exchange and returned to Cuba.
The renewed legal scrutiny comes amid a broader administration crackdown targeting Cuba’s communist leadership.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly met Thursday with Raul Castro’s grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, known as “Raulito,” delivering a message that the United States is prepared to engage economically and on security matters only if Cuba makes significant changes.
A separate law enforcement initiative launched in Florida has also reportedly been examining potential prosecutions involving Cuban communist officials for economic crimes, narcotics offenses, violent crimes and immigration violations.
Florida Republicans have increasingly pushed for accountability in the decades-old case.
Sen. Rick Scott and other lawmakers have recently urged the Justice Department to pursue charges, CBS News reported.
Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the reports with a blunt endorsement.
“Let ’er rip, it’s been a long time coming!” DeSantis wrote.
Raul Castro formally stepped down as Communist Party leader in 2021 but remains widely viewed as an influential power broker inside Cuba.
If prosecutors move forward, the case would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Cuba tensions and reopen one of the most emotionally charged chapters in modern relations between the two countries.
“I’m the only Cuban-born Member of the US Congress, and I fully support bringing dictator Raúl Castro to justice,” Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Giminez said on X.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed Friday that his government has been holding talks with officials from the Trump administration. The discussions come as the communist island struggles with a deepening energy crisis and mounting economic pressure, Fox News reported.
During a 90-minute news conference broadcast by state media, Díaz-Canel said the talks were aimed at addressing long-standing political differences between Havana and Washington. The New York Times first reported details of the negotiations.
Ilhan Omar Arrested - Refused to Leave and Fought Police
Minneapolis, Minnesota - June 16, 2026
Newly released police records show that Rep. Ilhan Omar was arrested for trespassing in 2013 after refusing multiple orders to leave a Minneapolis hotel lobby. According to the Hennepin County police report, Omar became argumentative with officers and physically resisted when police attempted to escort her from the premises.
The incident occurred on January 18, 2013, after an event at the Minneapolis Convention Center featuring former Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Large crowds followed the presidential convoy to the Hotel Ivy, where the president was staying. Hotel staff requested police assistance to clear the lobby, stating that only guests with room keys were permitted to remain.
When an officer approached Omar and asked her to leave, she refused. The report states that Omar was “argumentative” and stood her ground.
“As she stood her ground and refused to leave, I took hold of her left elbow to escort her from the lobby. Omar then pulled away from me, stating, ‘Don’t put your hands on me!’” the officer wrote.
Ten minutes later, the same officer found Omar seated in another area of the lobby. After being informed she would be arrested for trespassing if she did not leave, Omar again refused to comply.
The officer attempted to handcuff her while she remained seated in a chair. Omar pulled away during the arrest. She was ultimately booked into Hennepin County Jail.
“Omar was booked at [Hennepin County Jail] as I felt it was likely that she would fail to respond to a citation, and she also demonstrated that she was going to continue her criminal behavior,” the officer wrote in the report.
The newly surfaced document adds to the long list of controversies surrounding the Minnesota congresswoman.
Hannah Dugan Sentenced to 10 Years: Ex-Judge Helped Undocumented Immigrant Flee ICE in Court
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — June 16, 2026
THE SENTENCING HEARING for former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan has been postponed indefinitely as a federal court takes under advisement a high-stakes defense motion aimed at completely overturning her felony conviction.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman opted to halt the scheduled June 3, 2026 proceedings to consider extensive oral arguments regarding recent appellate case law and procedural standards that could render the baseline foundation of the government's case legally invalid.
Dugan, 67, faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison following a split verdict delivered by a federal jury in December 2025. The panel found her guilty of one felony count of obstructing an official federal proceeding but acquitted her on a misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual from arrest.
The criminal charges stem from a highly controversial April 18, 2025 incident inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and an undocumented immigrant.
"The defense maintains that the administrative execution of a standard immigration warrant does not meet the strict statutory definitions of an official federal proceeding required under obstruction laws."
The structural trial evidence demonstrated that ICE agents arrived at the county courthouse to detain Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who had re-entered the United States illegally and was appearing before Dugan on a state misdemeanor battery matter.
According to official court testimony, Dugan confronted the agents outside her courtroom door, informing them that their administrative paperwork did not authorize a summary arrest within her state court facility. She then directed the officers to the chief judge's office before utilizing a private jury exit corridor to escort Flores-Ruiz and his defense attorney safely out of the building.
Agents remaining in the immediate vicinity observed the departure and apprehended Flores-Ruiz outside the municipal facility following a short foot chase.
Dugan resigned from her judicial seat shortly after the split jury verdict was finalized. While many legal observers originally anticipated a multi-year prison sentence if the felony conviction stood, first-time nonviolent offenders can alternatively receive probation or non-custodial outcomes depending on judicial discretion.
"The prosecution continues to push back forcefully against the request for a new trial, maintaining that the jury’s original verdict rested on sufficient, verified evidence and correctly applied federal law."
The case has commanded national attention from legal scholars as an unprecedented early test of a state court judge facing criminal prosecution for actions intersecting with federal immigration enforcement. The ongoing dispute has exposed deep rifts over the absolute authority of state jurists, courthouse safe-haven policies, and the true legal boundaries of domestic judicial discretion.
Judge Adelman did not issue an immediate ruling from the bench following the conclusion of oral arguments, stating that a comprehensive written order will follow. Consequently, the former judge's sentencing remains on hold until the court determines whether the underlying felony conviction will stand or be permanently vacated.
