Miami Cuban exile community reacts with tears, chants and hope after Raúl Castro indictment

Crowds gathered outside Miami's Freedom Tower and at Versailles Restaurant on Wednesday as members of South Florida's Cuban exile community reacted emotionally to the federal indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Castro and five others were indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami in connection with the Cuban military's downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes nearly 30 years ago.

Castro, 94, was indicted on charges including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to court records released Wednesday. Prosecutors allege the planes were outside Cuban airspace when they were shot down by Cuban fighter jets in February 1996, killing four people.

The indictment also names five other defendants identified as Cuban fighter pilots, including one who had previously been charged in the case more than two decades ago.

The criminal case marks a major escalation in pressure against Cuba's communist government. Raúl Castro, the brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, served as Cuba's president from 2008 to 2018 and later led the country's Communist Party until 2021.

Emotional crowds gather at Miami's Freedom Tower

Outside the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami, crowds waved Cuban flags and chanted "Libertad" as community members described the indictment as a long-awaited step toward justice.

"This is it," one woman told CBS News Miami while describing the emotions she felt throughout the day. "I never felt this way before. And I think everybody here feels the same way."

The woman, visibly emotional during the interview, said the moment brought "smiles, tears, happy smiles" and nervousness after decades of waiting for accountability.

"My hands are shaking," she said. "What can I say?"

U.S. Military veteran Juan Antunez was close to some of the men who were killed on board the Brothers to the Rescue planes. For the Cuban American veteran, this indictment felt personal. 

"I remember exactly where I was when it was shot down, and I have always waited for justice. And I think we are going to get it," Antunez said. 

City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins was interacting with crowds gathered outside the Freedom Tower, where officials and community leaders were seen entering and leaving throughout the early afternoon.

Cuban Americans call indictment a long-awaited moment

Several people told CBS News Miami they believed the indictment represented more than just a legal case.

"Maybe we can be able to visit our country again," the woman said. "Just an array of emotions so intense that I can't describe it."

She also praised political leaders she believes pushed for the case to move forward.

"They're doing a good job standing up for Cuba and standing up for liberty and anti-communism and just freedom," she said. "Communism cannot exist."

When asked why it took nearly three decades for charges to materialize, she responded: "Nobody cared enough until now."

Versailles has long been considered landmark gathering place for Cuban exile community in South Florida 

At iconic Cuban restaurant Versailles in Miami's Little Havana, Cuban Americans gathered to celebrate the indictment as a moment many described as decades in the making.

The news sparked immediate reactions at the landmark restaurant in Little Havana, long considered a symbolic gathering place for the Cuban exile community in South Florida.

For many, the moment carried deep personal meaning.

"We have been waiting for this moment for 67 years and no one has paid any attention to the cause of the Cuban exiles," said Oscar Fernandez Saldona, fighting back tears outside Versailles.

Saldona said he and his parents fled Cuba in 1960 after the rise of the Castro regime. Speaking with CBS News Miami, he reflected on how much his parents longed to witness a day like this.

"They both did," he said when asked whether his parents dreamed of seeing Raúl Castro face justice.

Still emotional, Saldona added:

"As imperfect as this may be, the Trump administration is the only administration that has shown concern about changing the lives of the 11 million Cubans back on the island."

The atmosphere outside Versailles echoed other historic moments in the Cuban American community, including the reaction following the death of Fidel Castro in 2016. Cuban flags waved as people gathered, chanted and embraced outside the nearly 55-year-old institution.

Denis Rod, a Cuban American veteran who said he fought in the Vietnam War, expressed hope that the indictment could eventually lead to Castro facing justice in the United States.

"I think a lot of us are going to be extremely happy if he is indicted and brought here," Rod said.

Others saw the indictment as symbolic of broader hopes for political change in Cuba.

"Today represents the first step for the freedom of Cuba," said Adrian Rodriguez, who arrived in the United States less than 10 years ago.

Even visitors from outside Florida joined the gathering at Versailles to witness what they considered a historic moment.

"He should be indicted because it's justice," said Rossie Rodriguez, a visitor from Texas. "I'm not Cuban, I'm not Puerto Rican, I'm an American and I think it's time for justice to be served."

For Ramon Plasencia, the announcement brought mixed emotions.

"It's long overdue," Plasencia said. "Justice should have been served way long ago. Then again, like everything else, it's time for him to pay his dues."

Little Havana residents reflect on decades of exile and loss

Salas Bazan said she spent the morning at a Bay of Pigs veterans gathering before heading to the Freedom Tower and later Versailles to celebrate with others in the community.

"Of course I came," she said when asked why she went to Versailles after hearing the news. "First of all, for the cortadito. That's very important."

She also pointed to the importance of preserving the history of Cuba's exile community and the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, when Cuban exiles tried to overthrow the Castro government.

Throughout the early afternoon, chants echoed outside the Freedom Tower as Cuban Americans reflected on decades of pain, exile and unresolved grief tied to both the Castro regime and the Brothers to the Rescue tragedy.

For many gathered Wednesday, the indictment represented something they feared they might never see: accountability.