Miami Residents and Volunteers Plan Humanitarian Trip to Cuba Amid Oil Blockade

The trip comes as the U.S. halts oil shipments to Cuba and negotiations continue between the two countries.

Mar. 14, 2026 at 8:09pm

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Madea Benjamin, a Miami resident, is organizing a humanitarian trip to Cuba with hundreds of volunteers from across the country. The trip is set to depart on March 21 and will deliver $430,000 worth of medicine and supplies. The trip occurs during a period when the U.S. has halted oil shipments to Cuba, and President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on any country that ships oil there. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has acknowledged 51 prisoners are being released and said the island is in talks with the U.S. about their longstanding differences.

Why it matters

The humanitarian trip aims to provide aid to the Cuban people and denounce U.S. policy, which some believe is designed to create hardship for the Cuban population. The oil blockade and ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba have significant geopolitical and economic implications for the region.

The details

Madea Benjamin, a Miami resident, has been gathering supplies and recruiting hundreds of volunteers from across the country for the humanitarian trip to Cuba. The group is taking $430,000 worth of medicine, about 6,000 pounds. The trip comes as the U.S. has halted all of Venezuela's oil shipments to Cuba after capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. Cuba's largest oil supplier was Venezuela, which has the largest oil reserves in the world.

  • The humanitarian trip is set to depart on March 21, 2026.
  • In January 2026, the U.S. halted all of Venezuela's oil shipments to Cuba after capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The players

Madea Benjamin

A Miami resident organizing a humanitarian trip to Cuba with hundreds of volunteers.

Miguel Diaz-Canel

The President of Cuba, who acknowledged 51 prisoners were being released and said the island is in talks with the U.S. about their longstanding differences.

Donald Trump

The President of the United States, who has threatened to impose tariffs on any country that ships oil to Cuba.

Nicolas Maduro

The former President of Venezuela, who was captured by the U.S. in January 2026.

Manny Zafra

A Miami resident with Cuban relatives, who believes the oil blockade can be used as a negotiation tool.

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What they’re saying

“Just in our group, which is only one of the groups, we're taking $430,000 worth of medicine. It's about 6,000 pounds.”

— Madea Benjamin (CBS News)

“First and foremost, it's a humanitarian mission, but it's also to denounce U.S. policy, which we think is designed to create hardship for the Cuban people.”

— Madea Benjamin (CBS News)

“Am I in favor of talks? Absolutely. Something has to change, and I think this pressure that the U.S. government is putting on the Cuban people—because let's remember, it's over 10 million people on the island—are feeling this.”

— Madea Benjamin (CBS News)

“By suffocating them, they'll lay out the cards and say, 'Let's work together.' It's a big double-bladed sword. You're suffocating the people, the population, but you're putting pressure on the government.”

— Manny Zafra, Miami resident with Cuban relatives (CBS News)

“In my opinion, what they're saying is they won't change their political system. I think talks are stalled at that key issue.”

— Orlando Gutierrez, Assembly of Cuban Resistance (CBS News)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This humanitarian trip to Cuba highlights the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, as well as the impact of U.S. policies on the Cuban people. The trip aims to provide aid and denounce the U.S. oil blockade, which some believe is designed to create hardship for the Cuban population. The negotiations between the two countries will continue to be closely watched, as both sides seek to find a path forward.