Biden will revoke the designation of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism in exchange for the release of the prisoners
Washington — The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and ease economic restrictions as part of a deal to free political prisoners.
The Catholic Church facilitated a deal that would allow for the humanitarian release of dozens of political prisoners before President Biden leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, a senior administration official said. The prisoners were arrested after the government cracked down on protests in 2021 that were fueled by the economic crisis. Nearly a million Cubans left the country amid the unrest, with most coming to the US
“Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, United States policy toward Cuba has focused on empowering the Cuban people to freely determine their own future and advancing respect for human rights,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The decision is likely to be overturned by the new Trump administration. Sen Marco RubioPresident-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of state, whose family fled Cuba in the 1950s, supports strong sanctions against the communist regime in Havana.
GOP lawmakers were also quick to express outrage at the move. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in a statement that removing the tag was “unacceptable” and would harm US national security.
Senior Biden administration officials said there was no evidence to support a permanent designation of the country as a state sponsor of terrorism based on the government’s recent assessment, and stressed that the Trump administration would work on the same information if it decided to re-designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. Biden’s team is in contact with his colleagues on Trump’s team about the matter, the officials said.
President Barack Obama similarly removed Cuba from the terrorist list. Trump returned the designation shortly before leaving office in 2021.
Michael Bustamante, a professor at the University of Miami, said the designation of a sponsor of terrorism “makes it harder for Cuba to do business.”
“The removal represents a lifeline, in a way, for the Cuban tourism industry,” Bustamante said. “That is, if this removal sticks.”
Bustamante said the Biden administration’s last-minute decision could have unintended consequences when the Trump administration takes office in less than a week.
“Even if you think this is the right move, the real question now is whether it puts a bigger target on Cuba’s back for the incoming Trump administration, which would likely try to reimpose tougher sanctions on the island anyway,” Bustamante said.
