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The United Church of Canada (UCC) co-sponsored a tour by Dora Arce, General Secretary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cuba, alongside The Americas Policy Group (APG). That group — a national network of Canadian civil society organizations — works “with counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean for human rights, social justice & environmental protection.”

The event, which addressed topics such as the impact of the U.S. “blockade” on community services and daily life, came just in time to condemn pressure from the Trump administration — pressure that could have paved the way for democracy on the island. It did not happen earlier, for instance, in 2019, when the economic and social collapse popularly known as La Coyuntura began, nor did it address the arrests, torture, and killings stemming from the anti-Castro protests of July 11 and 12, 2021.

The event co-organized by the UCC for Arce — an outspoken defender of totalitarian policies like the Family Code — was supported by the pro-Castro Canada Cuba Solidarity Network. That entity and similar ones are part of the North American Division of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), which is considered a hub for the Castro regime’s international intelligence operations.

Its members have successfully lobbied Canadian media for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, organized trips to the island, staged demonstrations outside U.S. diplomatic missions, and sponsored events featuring high-ranking Castro-regime officials in Ottawa.

In one instance, Josefina Vidal, Havana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed appreciation for the work of socialist activists in Canada.

A Key Ally in the United States: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Through its advocacy arm — dedicated to “ending world hunger and [advocating] for policies that create opportunities to overcome poverty,” known as ELCA Advocacy — the denomination has hosted messages supporting the Cuban regime during its “Interfaith Virtual Hour of Action” events. It has called on its followers to exert influence by gathering signatures and sending letters or making calls to their representatives and senators.

In 2023, the ELCA’s Florida-Bahamas Synod signed a memorandum of understanding with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cuba (IEL), which includes “immersion trips” to the island.

But where does the current IEL stand? The following is an illustrative example. In 2010, the then-Lutheran Bishop Ramón Miguel Benito Ebanks rejected Cuba’s inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in a letter published by the official press; in it, he labeled those supporting the regime’s inclusion on the list as “mercenaries in the service of a foreign power... to kill their own brothers,” poisoned by “a chronic disease of imperialist policy against Revolutionary and Socialist Cuba.”

In 2018, IEL Bishop Ismael Laborde contacted the ELCA to explore the possibility of collaboration. “After several exploratory trips and various conversations, the process culminated in December 2019,” according to the ELCA Global Mission website.

In the years since, that connection has only grown stronger. The ELCA Conference of Bishops collaborates on advocacy efforts — such as sending letters to U.S. elected officials — that formally call on the U.S. government to lift the embargo and remove Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

In June 2026, the ELCA issued an “action and advocacy alert” directly targeting legislation intended to “help alleviate the economic crisis in Cuba” and advocating for the Freedom to Export to Cuba Act (H.R. 7521 and S. 136) — sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — which aims to “repeal the U.S. embargo and other provisions restricting trade and travel to Cuba.”

It is ironic that, while the ELCA advocates for alleviating poverty among Cubans, it maintains direct working ties with Lutheran Bishop Ismael Laborde. Laborde is known for having publicly rejected, in 2020, a shipping container of humanitarian aid sent from Miami to the Port of Mariel by the exile community — aid intended for distribution by churches on the island to the most vulnerable.

The ELCA maintains collaborative and supportive relationships with organizations close to the Castro regime, such as the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Matanzas and the Council of Churches of Cuba. Central to these ties has been the ELCA’s role as a prominent voice within U.S. society advocating for an end to the American embargo.

With such forces within its own borders, the United States has little need for adversaries abroad. The toxic empathy of many who champion socialist tyrannies while enjoying the comforts of a free society creates the perfect breeding ground for agents of influence who undermine White House foreign policy.