Cuba lawmaker slams poll showing Cuban Americans support military action against regime
A member of Cuba’s National Assembly has lashed out at a new Miami Herald poll showing overwhelming support among Cuban Americans in South Florida for U.S. military intervention in Cuba, dismissing the findings as politically skewed even as the survey underscores hardening attitudes within the exile community.
Carlos Miguel Pérez Reyes, a member of Cuba’s Communist Party and a deputy in the National Assembly, took to social media to discredit the poll, which found that 79% of Cuban Americans in South Florida back some form of U.S. military action against the island’s communist regime.
Calling it a “tragically famous poll,” Pérez Reyes argued that the survey does not represent the broader Cuban diaspora in the United States, much less American public opinion. He said the sample — 800 respondents from Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties — reflects “a very, very specific geographic and political universe.”
The lawmaker also pointed to the political composition of respondents, noting that 57% identified as Republicans and only 17% as Democrats, with a majority over the age of 50. In his view, the results capture the sentiments of a narrow segment of the Cuban exile community rather than a representative cross-section.
“But what does that survey really mean? Absolutely nothing,” he wrote.
Fernand Amandi, president of Bendixen & Amandi International and one of the pollsters who conducted the survey, pushed back on the criticism from Havana, saying the reaction underscores the very conditions that shape public opinion on and off the island. Amandi said the survey reflects views expressed in an environment where respondents can speak openly, without fear of retaliation.
“The real difference here is simple: This survey was conducted in a place where people can answer questions freely and without fear,” Amandi said. “In Cuba, independent polls are illegal, and political dissent is punished. Thus, when a regime official criticizes a scientifically and rigorously conducted survey among Cubans living in freedom, they are not actually questioning the methodology, but rather the fact that there are Cubans living outside the island who were able to speak honestly without fear of the consequences of expressing their true opinions.”
Pérez Reyes’s criticism of the poll is consistent with his dual role within Cuba’s evolving political and economic system. As both a Communist Party legislator and a private entrepreneur — founder of a software and digital marketing firm — he has emerged as a prominent face of the island’s limited economic opening, while remaining aligned with the government’s political framework.
In recent months, he has cultivated an image as a cautious internal critic, pointing to economic shortcomings while reaffirming his loyalty to the system. In March, he said he was “99% sure on the essentials” with Cuba’s leadership, underscoring his continued support for the regime’s core policies.
The poll, conducted by Bendixen & Amandi International and The Tarrance Group between April 6-10, paints a starkly different picture — one of an exile community increasingly aligned behind aggressive measures to bring about political change in Havana.
According to the survey, 36% of respondents support military intervention solely to overthrow the communist government, while another 38% favor a combined approach aimed at both regime change and addressing the island’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
Pollsters described the level of support as striking, particularly at a time when U.S. military engagements abroad — including recent actions in Venezuela and Iran — have sparked debate within the broader American electorate.
Fernand Amandi, president of Bendixen & Amandi International, said the results signal a clear message from the Cuban American community.
“It’s as if it were 1961 again,” he said, referencing the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. “What the community is saying is that they are giving the green light to intervene militarily in Cuba and do whatever it takes to overthrow the regime.”
The findings come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana, with U.S. President Donald Trump signaling a more confrontational stance toward the island and raising the possibility of direct action.
The poll also follows reports of back-channel contacts between U.S. officials and members of the Castro family, as well as public statements by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejecting political concessions.
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Cuba lawmaker slams poll showing Cuban Americans support military action against regime."
