Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Florida Democratic Party criticized President Biden for his decision to raise Cuba’s State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) designation in exchange for the release of jailed political prisoners who protested the regime in 2021.
“While any return of political prisoners from the clutches of communist Cuba is cause for celebration, the regime’s treatment of the Cuban people remains one of the greatest human rights violations of the past century,” said the president of the Democratic Party of Florida, Nikki Fried, in one statement released on Tuesday
“It would be naive to think that this negotiated exchange would mark a change of heart for the Cuban people,” he added.
The Biden administration said Tuesday it would remove Cuba from the SST list, a designation the country had held put back on during the final days of Trump’s first term. Biden administration officials said they were in contact with the incoming Republican administration about the change.
Cuba’s diplomats have done it vigorously pursued nixing the island nation of the list during Biden’s tenure in the Oval Office. After the announcement, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the development, but stressed that the island’s economic “blockade” “still remains in force.”
Fried condemned the administration’s decision and urged officials to reverse course.
“Generations of Cuban-Americans in Florida have told stories of the cruelty of the Castro regime, now led by Raúl’s handpicked successor, and the dangers they faced to escape to freedom in the United States,” Fried said.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the removal of Cuba from this list, as well as any possible lifting of economic sanctions, and we ask the Biden Administration to reverse course immediately,” he added.
The administration has drawn criticism from across the aisle, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) saying the decision is “unacceptable on its merits”. He vowed to work with President-elect Trump’s team and fellow senators to “immediately reverse it.”
