WASHINGTON — Less than a week before leaving office, outgoing President Biden lifted Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, infuriating Republican lawmakers who believe tougher sanctions should remain in place.
Biden's decision to ease restrictions on the island, long ruled by communists, was first reported by the Associated Press, but the White House did not immediately make its rationale public.
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), may reimpose the designation after taking office.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, another prominent Cuban-American Republican, blasted Biden's move as “unacceptable on its merits.”
“The Cuban regime's campaign of terrorism is far from over, and I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse this decision and minimize the damage.”
South Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Jimenez tweeted“President Biden is a pathetic coward. On January 20th, there will be a new sheriff in town, and along with the Secretary of State, there will be a President Trump. [Rubio] It's not just about placing #Cuba Returning to the list, crush the regime once and for all! ”
The state sponsor of terrorism designation was applied by outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo almost exactly four years ago, in the final days of President Trump's first term.
Secretary Pompeo said Cuba has long been a safe haven for violent leftist fugitives and revolutionaries.
“For decades, the Cuban government has fed, housed, and provided medical care to murderers, bomb makers, and hijackers, while many Cubans have been left hungry, homeless, and without basic needs. They are suffering without adequate medicine,” the State Department said at the time.
“Members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), a foreign terrorist organization designated by the United States, traveled to Havana in 2017 to conduct peace negotiations with the Colombian government,” the ministry continued. “Cuba has accepted Colombia’s request for the extradition of 10 ELN leaders in Havana after they claimed responsibility for the Bogota Police Academy bombing in January 2019 that killed 22 people and injured more than 87 others. refused, citing peace negotiation protocols.
Secretary Pompeo's department added: “Cuba also has several U.S. ports.” [sic] Fugitives from justice, wanted or convicted on charges of political violence, many of whom have lived in Cuba for decades. For example, the Cuban regime has refused to return Joan Chesimard, who was on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list for the 1973 execution of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster. Ishmael Rabito was convicted of murdering eight people in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1972. Charles Lee Hill is charged with the 1971 murder of New Mexico State Trooper Robert Rosenbloom. And others. ”
It was not immediately clear how Tuesday's measures would affect Havana's economy, but the state sponsor of terrorism designation carries one of the toughest possible sanctions regimes.
Currently, three other countries are designated as state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
