The United States announced on Monday (16) the easing of restrictions imposed during the Donald Trump administration on remittances of money and travel to Cuba. In practice, the new regulations make it easier, among other things, to send dollars from Cubans living in the US to their relatives on the island.
The measures mark the most significant change in the American approach to Havana since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. The improvement in relations between the two countries was one of the Democrat’s promises during the election campaign.
The State Department, responsible for US diplomacy, said the US would lift the limit on remittances to family members, previously set at $1,000 per quarter. Washington will also allow Cubans living in the country to send donations to people on the island who are not related.
A White House source told Reuters news agency that the US will use electronic payment processors to prevent funds from being directed to the Cuban dictatorship – such a measure had already been agreed with the regime. The announced easings, however, are still far from those projected by countries during the Obama administration, during which Biden was vice president.
Cuba called the announcements a “limited step in the right direction” and stressed that the decision “does not change the economic embargo” imposed by the Americans in 1962 and in force to this day. On Twitter, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno RodrÃguez wrote that the measures do not change “the objectives nor the main instruments of US policy towards Cuba, which are a failure”.
If it depends on Washington’s tone, a deep approach may also take time. In a statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the measures are “to provide additional tools for Cubans to seek a life free from the oppression of the Cuban government.”
Price also said the United States will not remove entities from the Cuba Restricted List, a State Department relationship with government-aligned Cuban military and companies with whom US companies and citizens are barred from doing business.
The criticism also touched on the way the dictatorship handled last year’s demonstrations – the biggest in decades in the country. Of the 1,395 arrested on July 11, 728 remain in prison. “We continue to call on the Cuban government to immediately release political prisoners, respect fundamental freedoms and allow the Cuban people to determine their own future,” Price said.
The critical speech takes into account the proximity of the US legislative elections, which according to polls could end up with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate. Loosening restrictions on Cuba could have political consequences among Cuban-Americans, a key constituency in South Florida who, during the Trump administration, supported the Republican’s tough policies toward Havana.
At the time, the former president limited the granting of visas, restricted remittances, reduced flights to the island and increased obstacles for Americans who wanted to travel to Cuba for tourism or business.
Even during the Republican government, the US drastically reduced the embassy staff in the Cuban capital in 2017. The withdrawal was justified as a response to the Havana syndrome, an alleged disease linked to a mysterious sound that would have hit American diplomats and spies in the city.
At the time, Cubans who intended to emigrate to the United States were also advised to apply for visas in person at the American embassies in Colombia and later in Guyana — in practice, the high cost of travel made the process impossible.
In this regard, the Americans announced on Monday a plan to reinstate the Parole Program for Cuban Family Reunification, which provides a legal way for Cuban families to gather in the United States, as well as increasing the capacity of consular services. Washington aims to issue 20,000 immigrant visas a year, according to a Reuters source.
The Biden administration will also expand authorized travel to Cuba, allowing scheduled and chartered flights to and from the country using airports other than Havana. Washington will also resume some categories of educational group travel, as well as travel related to meetings and research.
In addition, the Americans will increase support for independent Cuban entrepreneurs, with the aim of facilitating access to the Internet and expanding access to microfinance. The announcement comes weeks before the Summit of the Americas, an event held since 1994 that brings together 35 countries in the region to discuss political, diplomatic and trade issues. The ninth edition, scheduled for June, will have the US as its headquarters for the second time, in Los Angeles, and has been the subject of comments from presidents of neighboring countries.
The leaders of Mexico and Bolivia, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Luis Arce, conditioned their participation on invitations to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — all considered dictatorships by Washington.
