MIAMI, United States. – The United States Embassy in Cuba He denounced this Tuesday on social networks that activist Vladimir Martín Castellanos, a resident of Puerto Padre, Las Tunas province, was detained shortly before a visit this weekend by his head of mission, Mike Hammer, to the municipality of Las Tunas.
The diplomatic headquarters indicated that, “at least,” Martín Castellanos was released after his representative left the town and that “this happened to several others” who also wanted to speak with Hammer.
However, the Embassy maintained that it will maintain this type of tours and direct contacts with citizens. “I will continue going wherever I am invited because the job of a diplomat is to know the reality of the country in which he is stationed and inform our capital,” Hammer added.
The diplomatic headquarters also included a video in the publication that shows the official talking on the street with residents, including a minor identified as “Daniel.” When Hammer asks about the people he was looking to visit, he receives the response: “They told me to tell them that they were detained.”
In Puerto Padre, Las Tunas I wanted to visit Vladimiro Martín but they detained him shortly before we arrived at his house. Because? At least they released him after we left. This happened to several others that I would have liked to meet because they wanted to talk to me. I… pic.twitter.com/sP8Z62n08R
— United States Embassy in Cuba (@USEmbCuba) February 3, 2026
The Cuban regime has systematically tried to prevent meetings between members of civil society and the US head of mission. Even last year, in May, A police operation was deployed in front of Martín Castellanos’ own home and both he and his wife were detained and held incommunicado to prevent them from meeting with Hammer.
In recent months, Hammer’s strategy of visits outside the capital and meetings with citizens has caused friction with the Cuban government. In May 2025, the regime’s Foreign Ministry issued a “verbal warning” to the diplomat for what it described as “interventionist” behavior.
This Sunday, the United States Department of State, through its Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, denounced several acts of repudiation organized against Hammer in the province of Camagüey.
“The illegitimate Cuban regime must immediately cease its repressive acts of sending people to interfere with the diplomatic work of CDA Hammer and members of the team at the United States Embassy in Cuba,” the US entity warned in a publication your official account on X.
In its complaint, the State Department stressed that its diplomats will continue to meet with the Cuban people despite the regime’s failed intimidation tactics.
Since his arrival in Havana in 2023, Mike Hammer has maintained a clear public position in favor of fundamental freedoms in Cuba. During his administration, he has denounced arbitrary arrests, repression against activists and independent journalists, and has advocated for respect for the rights of expression, assembly and movement, in a political context marked by the social and economic crisis.
Last Saturday, Hammer was the victim of several acts of repudiation in the city of Camagüey. in a video spread on social networks It is shown how a small group mobilized by the authorities was waiting for Hammer outside his lodging to begin the event, in which they shouted slogans typical of the official speech in a belligerent tone.
