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."
Subscribe to 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.
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'Alligator Alcatraz will be a blight on the Everglades'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders