Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Cuban American who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba and who spent 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of a politically powerful South Florida family, has died after battling cancer, his family said Monday. He was 70.
His brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, said in a statement on the social platform X that his brother was “a defender of the silenced and oppressed, author of the democracy requirement for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship.”
A public mass memorial will be celebrated at a later date, the family said.
“Lincoln’s profound love for the United States and his relentless commitment to the cause of a free Cuba guided him throughout his life and his 24 years in elected public service, including 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Mario Diaz-Balart said in the statement.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart served in the Florida state House from 1987 to 1989, the state Senate from 1989 to 1993 and represented South Florida in Congress from 1993 to 2011.
During his time in Congress, Diaz-Balart significantly affected U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, including codifying into law the Cuban embargo and enacting the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act. The act provided deportation protections and immigration benefits to Cubans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorians and Guatemalans.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the nation’s Cuban American community “has lost a trailblazer and tireless freedom fighter.”
“The life and legacy of Lincoln Díaz-Balart is a tribute to the American Dream and the unwavering defense of human rights and democracy in our region,” Rubio said in a statement. “Lincoln’s vision and leadership, after 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and over 20 years in public service, are a testament to his profound love for the United States and the cause of freedom and democracy.”
The Diaz-Balarts have deep roots in both Miami and Cuba. Their father, Rafael Diaz-Balart, was a prominent Cuban politician who opposed Fidel Castro and who founded the first anti-Castro organization La Rosa Blanca.
Rafael Diaz-Balart’s sister was Castro’s first wife, making the younger Diaz-Balarts the dictator’s nephews.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart’s work protecting immigrants and opposing Castro’s regime played a critical role in driving many Cuban Americans away from the Democratic Party and toward the Republican Party.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.