Biden reverses some Trump restrictions on Cuba


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.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Israel's plan to occupy Gaza
In Depth Operation Gideon's Chariots will see Israel sending thousands of troops into Gaza later this month to seize control of the strip
-
Prince Harry's 'bombshell' BBC interview
Talking Point Royal claims he is not safe to visit the UK and fuels speculation over King Charles' health in 'extraordinary' BBC interview
-
Crossword: May 10, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment