Two of Congress's most left-wing Democrats led a secret delegation of 100 lawmakers to Cuba last week to discuss issues of human rights. 

The Miami Herald reported on Tuesday that Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) visited Havana on a trip that was not reported by state media.

Only when the Herald published a story about the trip did a spokesperson for the Congressional Progressive Caucus confirm the visit, suggesting they were not otherwise looking to publicly disclose the visit.

“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” a Caucus spokesperson said. 

Both Jayapal and Omar are notorious sympathizers with the Cuban regime and are vocal supporters of ending the decades-long economic embargo imposed by Washington. In January Jayapal called on Joe Biden to lift the embargo on the grounds that it had devastated the local economy. 

Jayapal also demanded that Biden remove Cuba from the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism, even though there is no evidence that they have ceased to do so. 

Today marks three years since Cuba was put on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list — a Trump-era policy that has devastated their economy and made life more difficult for Cubans. It’s past time for @POTUS to remove this designation, lift sanctions, and reopen relations with Cuba.

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 12, 2024

Being on this list has made it nearly impossible for Cuba to do international business, driving an economic downturn that has led residents to flee the country. It’s time to re-engage with Cuba.

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 12, 2024

The country's dire human rights record is a fact that is acknowledged by the left-leaning NGO Human Rights Watch in its 2023 report on the communist island, noting that "the government continues to repress and punish virtually all forms of dissent and public criticism, as Cubans endure a dire economic crisis affecting their rights."

Lawmakers and commentators on social media widely condemned the visit. Among those criticizing the trip were Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). 

Pro-Hamas members of marxist congressional squad just returned from a secret visit with anti-American dictatorship in #Cuba https://t.co/0YevLdYknd

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 28, 2024

No surprise that the Hamas Caucus made a pilgrimage to Cuba last week to get a refresher course on communism to bring back to DC. https://t.co/xnx5ARwzjx

— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) February 28, 2024

.@nicholaswu12 and all members of the media should refer to the Progressive Caucus by their more accurate name - the Congressional Communist Sympathizing Caucus.

It's outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and… https://t.co/4gC50jVyu4

— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) February 27, 2024

Quite why Omar and Jayapal wished to keep the visit a secret is unclear. As noted by the Herald, Cuban state media typically "highlights American lawmakers going to the island, usually framing their visit as a gesture of 'solidarity' with the Cuban people or support for ending the U.S. embargo."