Sen. Ted Cruz urges Americans to remember the people who died under Fidel Castro's communist rule

For Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the death of longtime Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is personal.

When Cruz was campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year and last year, he often reminded voters that he embodied the American dream as the son of a Cuban father who managed to escape the island-nation in the late 1950's.

Cruz's father, Rafael Cruz, came to America in 1957, where he would go on to graduate from the University of Texas. For the Cruz family, the rest is history.

Cruz, in a short statement on Facebook early Saturday, wanted to make it clear to the world that he celebrated the death of Castro, by urging people not to focus on Castro, but on the victims of his brutal communist regime instead.

"Fidel Castro's death cannot bring back his thousands of victims, nor can it bring comfort to their families," Cruz wrote.

"Today we remember them and honor the brave souls who fought the lonely fight against the brutal Communist dictatorship he imposed on Cuba," he added.

And while many Cuban Americans took to the streets of Miami late Friday to celebrate Castro's death, the news still isn't all positive. The Castro family continues to rule Cuba with an iron fist, and as Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez told one local Miami news station, until the entire Castro family is gone, Cuba won't be free.