President Joe Biden is moving to lift Cuba’s designation as a “state sponsor of terrorism” in the final days of his administration.
The decision, announced Tuesday, will overturn the designation that was implemented at the end of President-elect Donald Trump’s former administration via National Security Presidential Memorandum 5.
Biden conveyed his intentions to Congress with a report on the “proposed recission of Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
“The United States maintains as the core objective of our policy the need for more freedom and democracy, improved respect for human rights, and increased free enterprise in Cuba,” a memo from the White House Press Office reads. “Achieving these goals will require practical engagement with Cuba and the Cuban people beyond what is outlined in NSPM-5, and that takes into account recent developments in Cuba and the changing regional and global context.”
The action is being taken in partnership with the Catholic Church in an effort to free political prisoners being held by Cuban authorities and thaw relations with the island’s government.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement not long after the announcement claiming that the administration is “taking several steps to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihood of Cubans.”
The Biden administration will also be issuing a six-month waiver on Title III of the Libertad Act, which allows lawsuits to be brought against persons or companies believed to be exploiting private property expropriated by the Cuban government.
Finally, the government is seeking to roll back “additional regulations on engagement by U.S. persons and entities with Cuban persons and entities, beyond that which is currently prescribed in U.S. legislation.”
“In taking these steps to bolster the ongoing dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and counsel that has been provided to him by many world leaders, especially in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions, on how best to advance the human rights of the Cuban people,” Jean-Pierre wrote.
She added, “We have also been informed by the Catholic Church that the Cuban government will soon begin releasing a substantial number of political prisoners.”
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The redesignation is likely to be overturned in the first days of the incoming Trump administration after the former president is reinaugurated on Jan. 20.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), whose father was the victim of political persecution and fled to the United States to escape the Cuban government, railed against the Biden administration’s decision via social media.
He wrote, “Today’s decision is unacceptable on its merits. The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision.”
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Publish date : 2025-01-15 06:31:00
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