U.S. restarts visa services in Cuba for the 1st time since 2017


The U.S. embassy in Cuba is restarting its visa and consulate services for the first time following a string of health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017, reports The Associated Press. The embassy will begin processing immigrant visas with the priority of uniting families across both countries.
The U.S. and Cuba have had a historically tense relationship, given that Cuba is a communist country. However, former President Barack Obama worked to improve those relations, removing the island from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list and reopening its U.S. embassy. But former President Donald Trump then reversed a number of Obama-era policies, reintroducing strict travel restrictions and claiming he was "canceling the previous administration's completely one-sided deal."
In 2017, visa and consular services were closed because of a series of unexplained health attacks on American diplomats in Cuba. The U.S. State Department asserted that the attacks were targeted, but those in Cuba maintained they were "unable to support the hypothesis."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, the Biden administration is beginning to re-establish an amicable relationship with Cuba, re-introducing the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program and encouraging the growth of Cuba's private sector. U.S. and Cuban officials had been in talks for months prior to the decision to resume visa services.
"Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance U.S. interests," the U.S. Embassy said in November.
Cuban migrants have been coming to the U.S. in record numbers due to the island's current authoritarian regime, in one instance forcing the closure of a Florida national park. They now are the second-largest group at the southern border following Mexicans.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
6 Broadway shows coming to a local theater near you
The Week Recommends Harry Potter makes an appearance. As do the wives of Henry VIII.
-
Judge rejects top state charges in Mangione case
Speed Read If convicted, Mangione faces up to life in state prison
-
UN panel finds Israeli genocide in Gaza
Speed Read The report found that Israeli leaders had committed ‘four of the five “genocidal acts”’ prohibited under the U.N. Genocide Convention
-
Why is Trump backtracking on the Hyundai immigration raid?
Today’s Big Question Backlash threatens investment in US manufacturing
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Speed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines