The host of the official program Con Filo, Michel Torres Corona, has publicly requested the United States to include him in future sanctions lists, in response to measures imposed against officials and entities of the Cuban regime.
The host of the official program Con Filo, Michel Torres Corona, has issued a direct challenge to the U.S. government by asking for his name to appear on the upcoming sanctions lists. He did this through a Facebook post, where he appeared alongside Gretza Sánchez Padrón, who has just been sanctioned by the State Department.
In his message, Torres Corona titled the image as "My photo with the sanctioned one" and expressed feeling "envy" upon seeing Sánchez Padrón's name among the new sanctions. "I lack that distinction... Let's see if they get encouraged!" he wrote, in a provocative tone directed at Washington.
Gretza Sánchez Padrón was sanctioned on July 23 for her role as director of the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation (UCCM), a department of the Ministry of Public Health responsible for managing the dispatch of Cuban professionals abroad. In that same round of measures, the United States also sanctioned the Minister of Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, the UCCM itself, and the Cuban Medical Services Marketing S.A. (CSMC).
The State Department noted that CSMC is the main source of foreign currency for the Cuban regime, with estimated annual revenues of over $4.9 billion. The sanctions are part of a strategy to increase pressure on the economic and administrative structures linked to the medical services export program.
Torres Corona accompanied his post with a photograph in which he wears a CUPET t-shirt, the Cuban state oil company. The host clarified that the choice of garment was deliberate, referring to the sanction imposed by the United States against that entity in June 2026 under Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump.
The post concluded with confrontational slogans against the United States, including "They shall not pass, Yankee HP!", "No one surrenders here!", "Down with imperialism!" and "Long live free Cuba!", in a tone that sought to respond to Washington's recent decisions.
Although Torres Corona is one of the main voices of the official narrative on social media, in recent months he has also experienced friction with the power elite itself. In April 2026, he was censored by state television after publicly questioning Sandro Castro. Subsequently, on July 10, he published an article on the Uruguayan portal Mate Amargo where he criticized Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro's role as the regime's negotiator with Washington without holding an elected position.
U.S. sanctions against the Cuban regime have expanded throughout 2026. On July 13, ten more entities were designated, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Rapid Response Brigades, and the Territorial Troops Militias. The round announced on July 23 also included CEINPET, ENERSA, and EINARBO S.A., extending measures to the health and energy sectors.
The State Department reiterated that the Cuban medical missions program constitutes a form of forced labor and human trafficking, asserting that the regime retains between 50% and 95% of the salaries paid by recipient countries. This assessment coincides with the conclusions issued in April 2026 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which recommended that the states of the continent review or suspend their participation in this program. Washington also insisted that the ultimate goal of these sanctions "is not to punish, but to encourage a positive change in the behavior" of the Cuban regime.
For readers interested in U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba, these sanctions represent a progressive hardening that affects key sectors such as health and energy. Torres Corona's request, although symbolic, reflects the polarization surrounding these measures. For now, there are no indications that Washington will include him in future lists, but the challenge has been laid down.
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