This week, the Department of Justice announced charges against a network accused of working for Russian intelligence to finance terrorism and carry out targeted killings, including by recruiting people inside the United States. The allegations include the involvement of two Cuban nationals. That should matter to every family in Miami-Dade.
No foreign government has the right to threaten, intimidate, or silence people exercising their freedoms in the United States. In this county, many families know firsthand the repression of the Cuban dictatorship. We live 90 miles from a regime that has kept its people in misery, built intelligence capabilities, and aligned with America’s adversaries. The FBI has long warned that this is a documented threat, not a theory. My opposition to that dictatorship and its suppression of fundamental freedoms is unwavering. Those who seek refuge here deserve to live without fear of political persecution or retaliation.
I commend the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the partner agencies involved in this investigation.
My administration will continue to enforce the laws entrusted to the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office, without fear or favoritism. We will not be intimidated by any dictatorship or by anyone seeking to undermine our responsibilities. Our commitment is to the people we serve, the rule of law, and the freedoms that define this nation.
My position is clear. Intimidation and violence on behalf of foreign governments have no place in Miami-Dade County or anywhere in our nation.
Dariel Fernandez
Tax Collector
Miami-Dade County
