The Biden administration is facing pushback from both sides of the political spectrum over its move to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The United States slapped Cuba with this designation in 2021, just before then-President Donald Trump left office.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Tuesday that the administration “under the leadership of Pope Francis, is committed to supporting the Cuban people and improving the lives of the Cuban people as part of our understanding with the Catholic Church.” We are taking several measures.” . ”
“First, today we notified Congress that President Biden has determined that Cuba should no longer be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism,” she continued.
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President Joe Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on July 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
“Second, we have notified Congress that the President has waived Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, otherwise known as the Act. Libertad Take action for 6 months. Finally, President Biden announced the 2017 Cuba Policy Act, which repeals the so-called “restricted list” and, in turn, eliminates additional restrictions on U.S. individuals and entities' engagement with Cuban individuals and entities beyond those currently provided. National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 has been withdrawn. “We have also received reports from the Catholic Church that the Cuban government will soon begin releasing a significant number of political prisoners,” she said.
Democrats are divided on this issue.
The Florida Democratic Party chairman called on the administration to “immediately reverse course.”
“I am disappointed in the Biden administration's plan to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Nikki Fried said in a statement shared on the Florida Democratic Party's X Feed. “We condemn in the strongest terms the removal of Cuba from this list and the potential lifting of economic sanctions, and we call on the Biden administration to immediately reverse course.”
Congressman Ritchie Torres (New York) also opposed the administration's decision.
“Do the majority of Cuban-Americans support removing Cuba, an enemy of the United States, from the list of state sponsors of terrorism? If the answer is no, why is the Biden administration unnecessarily Are we alienating Cuban-Americans? I agree with this sentiment. Florida Democrats are here,” the congressman tweeted.
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-Florida) said in a statement, “The authoritarian state of Cuba has failed the expectations of its people. The president's opinion that sanctions should be lifted without ending the repression of the Cuban regime… I do not agree.”
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Front view of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, January 14, 2025. (Maylin Alonso/AFP via Getty Images)
Some Florida Republicans have voiced fierce criticism.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) called Biden's decision “pathetic and cowardly.”
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Florida, tweeted: “Once again, the Democrats have betrayed the Cuban people! Shame on the entire Biden administration for removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba is a major terrorist… It is a supporting country.” Terrorism, infiltration, training, and enablement against Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist enemies of the United States. ”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also criticized the administration.
“The Biden administration continues its quest to leave behind as much debris as possible when it leaves the country. Cuba should not be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” he declared in a post on X.
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A Cuban flag flies near the U.S. embassy where people apply for visas in Havana on January 15, 2025. (Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images)
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But some Democrats praise the administration.
“We welcome the Biden administration's move to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a long-awaited move that will help normalize relations with our neighbor,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said in a statement. It's a measure.”
