An investigation into a convoy to Cuba led by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker reveals the central role of Progressive International, a leftist organization that critics say legitimizes authoritarian regimes. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued subpoenas to Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin.
As intensified sanctions pressure on Cuba's communist government earlier this year, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said he turned to a friend for advice.
'I hit my friend up, David Adler, and I was like, What do we do? ' Piker recalled in an online interview. 'And he is like, I am already working on it.
' What followed, according to Piker's own account, was the assembly of a transnational convoy that brought hundreds of activists, politicians, journalists and organizers from dozens of countries to Cuba, delivering an estimated 40 tons of supplies as part of a campaign branded 'Nuestra América Convoy' or 'Our America Convoy. ' The remarks offer one of the clearest public disclosures to date of how the popular streamer became involved in a trip that is now drawing scrutiny from federal investigators.
Fox News Digital exclusively reported a week ago that the Office of Foreign Assets Control recently issued administrative subpoenas to Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, seeking records related to their Cuba travel, communications and financial activity connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The requests sought travel records, communications and financial records related to Cuba activities, including possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities.
Public attention surrounding the trip has largely focused on CodePink, Piker, Shanghai-based American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, and Singham's wife, Jodie Evans, who posted a selfie photo with Piker in Havana. But an analysis of hundreds of hours of Piker's livestreams and interviews compiled by computer engineer Jennica Pounds, a data scientist known online as 'Data Republican,' repeatedly points to a lesser-known organization that played a central role in planning the mission: Progressive International, run by Piker's friend Adler.
'What makes Progressive International so dangerous is that, by co-opting progressive values, it provides political legitimacy to authoritarian regimes with longstanding records of repression and gross human rights violations, and whose purpose is to destroy the United States,' said Gelet Martinez Fragela, a Cuban American journalist based in Boca Raton, Florida. 'That is precisely the propaganda strategy of the Cuban regime, which has historically used solidarity groups and activist networks as cover to build alliances, raise funds and maintain power while continuing to embed itself within illicit and anti-democratic networks around the world,' she told Fox News Digital.
Born in Cuba, Martinez Fragela has been investigating the government of Cuba's influence in the Western Hemisphere for years, mapping the network it builds with activists, nonprofits and governments to activate support for the Communist Party of Cuba. The Progressive International's general coordinator David Adler spoke during an event at the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples in Havana on March 21, 2026. The organization's involvement raises questions about potential violations of U.S. sanctions and foreign interference laws.
Critics argue that groups like Progressive International serve as fronts for authoritarian regimes, enabling them to bypass sanctions and build transnational influence networks. The subpoenas to Piker and Benjamin signal a deeper investigation into whether the convoy activities violated the Trading with the Enemy Act or the Cuban Assets Control Regulations. As the probe unfolds, the role of Progressive International and its connections to other leftist organizations remain under scrutiny.
Martinez Fragela emphasized that such groups not only provide cover for repressive regimes but also undermine democratic movements by aligning with dictatorships under the guise of solidarity. The case highlights the ongoing tensions between U.S. foreign policy and activist efforts to challenge sanctions, particularly as the Biden administration continues to enforce sanctions on Cuba while facing pressure from progressive voices to ease restrictions.
The outcome of this investigation could have broader implications for how the U.S. government handles similar activities by nonprofit and activist organizations in the future
Hasan Piker Progressive International Cuba Convoy OFAC Investigation Sanctions Violation
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