Biden reverses some Trump restrictions on Cuba

A man drives down a street in Havana, Cuba.

(Image credit: Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

published 17 May 2022

The Biden administration is lifting some Trump-era restrictions on Cuba, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying on Monday the measures "will make it easier for families to visit their relatives in Cuba and for authorized U.S. travelers to engage with the Cuban people, attend meetings, and conduct research."

Last summer, protests were held in Cuba against the government and ruling Communist Party. Such demonstrations are rare in Cuba, and this prompted President Biden to order a review of the U.S. policies toward the country, CNN reports. The new measures include reinstating the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program and lifting the family remittance cap of $1,000 every three months.

Senior administration officials told CNN that while Americans won't be allowed to travel to Cuba for educational purposes or as tourists, there will be additional commercial and charter flights to the country, letting more Americans visit through authorized "people-to-people" trips. The moves are "practical steps" that "address the humanitarian situation and ... respond to the needs of the Cuban people," one U.S. official said. Read more at CNN.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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