Miami International Airport became the scene of an unusual confrontation on Wednesday morning when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained 20 American activists returning from a humanitarian aid mission to Cuba. The group, part of the CODEPINK delegation in the larger Nuestra América Convoy, had just arrived on a charter flight from Havana after delivering medical supplies and other aid to the island nation. Of the 20 individuals pulled aside for secondary inspection, 18 had their phones and other electronic devices seized by agents, leaving many uncertain about when or if they would get them back.
The Nuestra América Convoy, named after a 19th-century essay by Cuban intellectual José Martí critiquing U.S. dominance in the Americas, involved 650 delegates from 33 countries who transported an estimated 20 tons of aid to Cuba. This included rice, beans, canned food, baby formula, bicycles, and solar panels delivered via a 75-foot fishing boat from Mexico, as well as chartered flights from cities like Miami. The CODEPINK group alone carried 6,300 pounds of medicine and medical supplies valued at $433,000, aimed at easing the hardships caused by Cuba's ongoing fuel shortages.
Those shortages stem from the U.S. blockade on oil exports to Cuba, intensified under the Trump administration following the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to Reuters, the State Department has permitted limited fuel exports to Cuba's private sector, but the restrictions have led to widespread blackouts, rotting food in refrigerators, uncollected trash on streets, and severe strain on the country's universal healthcare system. The New York Times reported that hospital patients have died from preventable causes due to the lack of resources, with doctors attributing these tragedies directly to the fuel crisis.
Olivia DiNucci, an organizer with the left-leaning pacifist group CODEPINK, was among those detained and described the experience to reporters. "There was a charter flight that went out yesterday that went by pretty seamlessly," DiNucci said. "There were a couple people who were detained, but it was pretty quick and — in quotes — ‘normal’ racial profiling that happened. But right when we got off the plane, 20 of us got taken in."
DiNucci recounted how her name was called as she approached the customs desk, leading all 20 members of the group into secondary inspection for individual questioning. Agents asked standard queries about the purpose of their trip, duration in Cuba, accommodations, companions, employment, residence, and phone numbers. However, some questions delved into personal matters, particularly for those with family ties to Cuba, Venezuela, or Mexico.
"They asked other people about their family in Cuba, their work that they did in Venezuela," DiNucci said. One agent reportedly remarked, “Cubans want Marco Rubio to be in power,” while criticizing the aid delivery, claiming the Cuban government would seize it. DiNucci noted that agents offered two choices: unlock and surrender phones for inspection or face seizure. She and one other complied voluntarily, while the remaining 18 had their devices confiscated. Agents also examined notebooks and journals, photographing their contents.
DiNucci's phone was in airplane mode during the inspection, and she had deleted messaging apps and emails beforehand. Still, it was briefly out of her sight, raising concerns about what agents might have accessed. "I’ve always been warned against Cuba being a heavy surveillance state, but I can’t think of one bigger than the United States," she added, echoing sentiments from other convoy members.
High-profile participants included leftist streamer Hasan Piker and Chris Smalls, the Amazon worker who organized a 2020 strike in New York City. Smalls was among those whose devices were taken. A Cuban-American member of the convoy, speaking anonymously for professional reasons, traveled with a burner phone due to anxiety over potential searches. She passed through Miami without issue last week, attributing her smooth entry to her Global Entry status, a CBP trusted traveler program. Others in her group faced scrutiny, including device searches.
Growing up in a Cuban-American family, the anonymous member was taught to fear repression in Cuba. "I’ve always been warned against Cuba being a heavy surveillance state," she said, "but I can’t think of one bigger than the United States." She emphasized the convoy's humanitarian focus: “I think that ultimately, people went because they wanted to help people. And I think at the end of the day, that was the mission.”
Suzanne Adely, president of the National Lawyers Guild, described such phone searches as a common tactic against activists. The guild is advising the convoy members on their rights and assisting in efforts to recover the seized devices. “We know that the US, above all, does this to intimidate, but I am confident these activists will not be intimidated and will continue to stand in solidarity with Cuba as they endure this inhumane US blockade,” Adely said. “We intend to pressure the government to return their phones immediately, and there is a way to demand redress for the impact of what we consider to be an unlawful search and seizure.”
CBP did not respond to requests for comment on the incident. Legally, warrantless device searches at U.S. ports of entry, including airports, are permitted under a 2014 Supreme Court ruling deeming them reasonable due to border security needs. CBP conducts two types: basic inspections, like scrolling through offline content, and advanced forensic exams. While basic searches are routine, forensic ones vary by port, influenced by differing federal court decisions.
Travelers can refuse searches, but non-citizens risk denial of entry, and U.S. citizens may still lose their devices temporarily, as occurred here. CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin, who returned via Miami on March 23, experienced a smoother process. “I was asked just a couple of questions, and that was it, and that was the case for most of the people,” she said. Five in her group faced brief secondary screening, lasting about half an hour.
Benjamin highlighted challenges in publicizing Cuba's plight, noting that Miami authorities denied a permit for a pre-trip press conference. She critiqued U.S. policy as ideologically driven: “It’s such an ideological policy that doesn’t talk about the people and the real needs of people.” The approach, she argued, aims to inflict enough suffering to spark an uprising, overlooking immediate humanitarian needs.
The broader context includes the Trump administration's threats of tariffs on countries shipping fuel to Cuba. Earlier this week, a Russian tanker with 730,000 barrels of crude oil passed through the English Channel, escorted by a Russian warship. In February, several Caribbean nations pledged aid to Cuba at an international conference, urging de-escalation of U.S.-Cuba tensions.
As the activists await their devices, the incident underscores ongoing debates over border searches and U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba. Legal challenges from groups like the National Lawyers Guild could push for greater protections, while the convoy's mission highlights international solidarity amid economic pressures. For now, the 18 affected individuals continue their advocacy, undeterred by the airport encounter.