US imposed 2-week deadline during secret Cuba meeting

Source: USA Today

Updated April 19, 2026, 9:23 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON — The U.S. has given Cuba two weeks to release high-profile political prisoners in a sign of good faith. The demand was presented during a secret meeting on April 10 in Cuba, according to a source familiar with the discussion. Some of the names floated for release included Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, dissident artists from the San Isidro movement who were sentenced in 2022.

In a statement to USA TODAY, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration remains committed to the release of all political prisoners, including Alcántara and Osorbo. The spokesperson pointed to Trump's remarks at an April 17 rally that a "new dawn for Cuba" is coming and said the regime should stop playing games as direct talks are occurring. The Cuban government has a small window to make a deal, the person said.

A senior State Department delegation traveled to Cuba on April 10 for talks with the government, a State Department official confirmed to USA TODAY. A senior State Department official also had a separate meeting with former Cuban leader Raul Castro's grandson during the visit, the person said.

It was the first time that a U.S. government plane had landed in Cuba since 2016. Axios was the first news outlet to report that the meetings took place.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/19/us-cuba-two-week-deadline-political-prisoners/89691443007/