Staff Reports
Ambassador Mike Waltz told Fox News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed paperwork to expel a Cuban diplomat after a heated on‑floor clash at the United Nations. If true, the move is a clear show of U.S. strength: we don’t tolerate shoves against American staff on American soil — even if that soil happens to be inside the U.N. building.
What Ambassador Waltz announced
Ambassador Mike Waltz, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, said on air that the Cuban diplomat involved will be placed on a plane to Havana within 24 hours. Waltz described the incident as a shove and an attempt to grab a U.S. staffer’s phone while that staffer was recording the exchange. Reporting has identified the official as Richard Tur de la Concepción, First Secretary at Cuba’s Permanent Mission to the U.N., and the clash began after Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, stormed the podium during debate over the U.S. embargo. Waltz’s on‑floor rebuke — “Back away. This isn’t Havana” — made the point plain: there are rules here, and intimidation won’t be tolerated.
Confirmed facts and what still needs proof
What’s solid: the loud U.N. confrontation and Waltz’s on‑the‑record statement that Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed expulsion paperwork. What’s not yet independently confirmed is a formal State Department press release or an official persona non grata notice posted by the U.S. Mission or the U.N. Secretariat. Reporters should treat Waltz’s announcement as a primary source claim until the State Department posts the paperwork or the Cuban Mission acknowledges the diplomat’s departure. Still, if the allegation about the shove and phone grab is accurate, declaring a diplomat persona non grata is the correct, literal response.
Why the Cuban diplomat expulsion matters
This is more than theater. A formal expulsion would reinforce American sovereignty at the U.N., protect our diplomats and staff, and set a deterrent against future intimidation from regimes that mistake New York for a safe space to bully. The episode also exposes the hypocrisy of the Cuban regime: lecturing the world while its representatives allegedly try to silence and seize evidence from U.S. personnel. If Washington follows through with a persona non grata declaration, it will be a smart, no‑nonsense answer to physical aggression in a diplomatic venue.
Bottom line: Ambassador Waltz made a loud, public claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the expulsion order — and that claim deserves a formal State Department readout to close the loop. If the paperwork exists, good. Put the phone grab and the shove on record, escort the offending diplomat out, and let Cuba explain itself. If no paperwork appears, the administration still owes Americans clarity. Either way, the message should be simple and direct: don’t lay hands on U.S. staff, especially not at the U.N., and don’t expect diplomacy to be an excuse for bad behavior.
