In the early 1990s, tens of thousands of Cubans fled the island on makeshift rafts, known as the balsero crisis, seeking refuge in the United States. Pilots from Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban American humanitarian group, spotted many of these rafts and reported their locations to the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1996, two of the group's planes were shot down by Cuban fighter jets, killing four crew members, an act that heightened tensions between the two countries.
Recent efforts by U.S. lawmakers and Cuban exile groups have focused on seeking an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, who served as head of state from 2008 to 2018 and was defense minister during the 1990s. They allege that Castro oversaw a campaign of repression, including the shooting down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, which could constitute crimes against humanity under international law.
As of May 2026, no formal indictment has been filed, but advocacy groups continue to push for legal action, citing the 1996 shootdown and other human rights abuses during Castro's tenure. The U.S. Department of Justice has not commented on any ongoing investigations.
