US President Joe Biden’s administration is easing a number of diplomatic and travel restrictions involving Cuba that were imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
The State Department announced Monday that it is removing the current limit of $1,000-per-quarter that Cubans can send to family members still living on the island, and non-family remittances to support independent entrepreneurs. will also allow
The administration is also reviving a program that gives Cubans a way to reunite with family members in the United States, with a goal of issuing 20,000 immigrant visas a year. The State Department says it will also enhance visa processing and consular services at its diplomatic facilities in Cuba.
The Biden administration group is expanding scheduled and chartered flights to places beyond the Cuban capital Havana, including educational visits, professional meetings and research.
Former President Trump increased sanctions against Cuba, reversing historic actions taken by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that stoked Cold War-time tensions between Washington and the communist-run island located just 144 kilometers off the coast of Florida. reduced. The US maintains economic sanctions against Cuba that were first imposed in 1962.
Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, vowed to restore Obama’s attitude toward Cuba during the 2020 presidential campaign, but imposed sanctions on Cuban officials after unprecedented widespread street protests on the island in July last year. Took a set.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez issued a statement saying the Biden administration’s decisions were “a small step in the right direction”.
But US Senator Robert Menendez, a member of Biden’s Democratic Party and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the administration’s decision to reinstate some forms of travel to Cuba in a statement. “Those who still believe that increased travel will lead to democracy in Cuba are simply in a state of denial,” said Senator Menendez.
Some information for this report has been obtained from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
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