Milder Climate in Cuba

President Joe Biden aims to reverse some of the harshest measures the ‘Trump era’ took regarding the island.

A year and a half after taking office, Joe Biden has initiated a change in U.S relations with Cuba that he promised during his presidential campaign. The measures announced recently by the State Department have not yet been scheduled, but they reverse some of the 240 sanctions that Donald Trump imposed on both personal and economic relationships. The United States intends to issue 20,000 immigrant visas a year, facilitate regular reunification of separated families, and allow “authorized” American travelers to establish contacts with the island. The announcement also includes promotion of the Cuban private sector and support for internet services and e-commerce platforms in the United States, in addition to raising the maximum of $1,000 per quarter for family remittances and donations to Cuban entrepreneurs.

The fact that the announcement has been criticized by the hard core among Cuban exiles in Miami and a prominent Democratic senator has criticized the plan demonstrates how complex relations between the two countries are. But it is undeniable that the measures will benefit thousands of Cuban families separated by the Florida Strait. The plan aims to counteract the damage that Trump caused while in office after Barack Obama restored relations in 2015 at the end of his term. Some of the advisers who worked on this issue for Obama work for Biden.

The State Department announcement comes as Cuba experiences a new exodus that has driven the population down on the island in recent months because of deteriorating living conditions. Young people and entire families have set out for the United States. Many of them are taking advantage of Nicaragua’s involvement in suspending the visa requirement for Cubans. This way, Cubans can make a first stop in continental America to reach the United States over land. It is a dangerous path during which Cubans encounter members of mafia organizations and corrupt officials who mistreat and extort them for money. Between October 2021 and April 2022, about 115,000 Cubans entered U.S. territory illegally from Mexico. In just six months, the border authorities arrested three times as many Cuban immigrants. Others leave for different countries and still others continue by sea in the hope of reaching the United States. (Authorities stopped approximately 1,000 Cubans on rafts in the last four months.)

Unlike previous migrations, there has been no official message this time about opening the border. But like previous waves of migration, this one is helping to eliminate Cubans who have been most critical of the regime. Those who are leaving now are mainly young people who have grown up with internet access and dared to take to the streets in protest. The historic protests of July 11 demanded changes from their leaders, and protesters were suppressed and sentenced to harsh prison terms. The new climate fostered by the State Department’s announcement may also make it easier for this wave of immigrants to act pursuant to laws that help them avoid the personal and material costs of leaving Cuba and that no longer use them as a bargaining chip.