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The Biden administration lifted Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday, reversing a move made by the Trump administration in 2021.
The decision, part of a Catholic Church-sponsored deal to free political prisoners in Cuba, was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
In a certification that Biden issued on Tuesday afternoon, he stated that the Cuban government “has not provided any support for international terrorism during the previous 6 months” as well as “has given assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism to the future”.
“The United States maintains as a central goal of our policy the need for greater freedom and democracy, better respect for human rights, and increased free enterprise in Cuba,” said a national security memo released by the White House. “Achieving these goals will require a practical engagement with Cuba and the Cuban people beyond what is outlined in NSPM-5 (Presidential National Security Memorandum 5), and that takes into account recent developments in Cuba and the regional and global context changing”.
The Biden administration lifted Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
“Accordingly, I hereby revoke NSPM-5.”
Cuba received the designation in January 2021, shortly before Biden took office. At the time, the US Embassy in Cuba accused the country of “repeatedly supporting acts of international terrorism to grant safe harbor to terrorists.”
“The Trump Administration has been focused from the beginning on denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home and to counter its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,” he says the statement “With this action, we will once again hold the Cuban government accountable and send a clear message: The Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and the subversion of American justice.”
The statement refers to Raúl Castro, the then first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and brother of the famous dictator Fidel Castro According to the State Department, Cuba was first designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, and the designation was revoked in 2015.
“Cuba maintains close and collaborative ties with designated state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran and North Korea,” the 2019 State Department report said. “The Cuban regime continues to host ELN-associated leaders to now defunct peace talks to reside in Cuba, despite repeated requests from Colombia for his extradition.Cuba also continues to harbor multiple fugitives who committed or supported acts of terrorism in the United States”.
The city of Havana on August 2, 2017. (Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The Cuban people are bravely defending their freedoms after 62 years of subjugation under a communist dictatorship,” Rubio said of the 2021 protests. “This is truly a historic moment, and one that I am proud to witness as a Cuban-American. “The people of Cuba have made their voice clear. We must support the constant efforts of the Cuban people to live in a nation free of tyranny and censorship.”
Before Tuesday’s announcement, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, denounced the Biden administration’s move, calling it “unacceptable on its merits.”
“The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not stopped,” Cruz said in a statement. “I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage of the decision.”
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President-elect Trump will succeed President Biden next week. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg)
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department, but officials declined to comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House for confirmation.
Fox News’ Caroline McKee contributed to this report.
