Biden administration says Cuba is no longer a sponsor of terrorism.
The Biden administration reportedly plans on Tuesday to reverse the Trump administration’s 2021 designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The Associated Press reported the news Tuesday afternoon, though the White House has yet to deny or confirm the reports. The move is said to be part of a Catholic Church-backed deal to free political prisoners in Cuba.
Cuba was given the designation in January 2021, shortly before Biden left office. At the time, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba accused the country of “repeatedly supporting acts of international terrorism in order to provide a safe haven for terrorists.”
“The Trump administration has been focused from the beginning on denying the resources the Castro regime uses to oppress its people at home and resisting its dangerous interventions in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,” the statement said. “With this action, we hold the Cuban government accountable once again and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of American justice.”
The Biden administration on Tuesday accused Cuba of being a state sponsor of terrorism. (Getty Images)
The statement quoted Raul Castro, the current first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and brother of the notorious dictator Fidel Castro. According to the State Department, Cuba was first designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2011. In 1982, the designation was canceled in 2015.
A 2019 State Department report noted that “Cuba has close and cooperative ties to terrorist sponsors such as Iran and North Korea. “The Cuban regime continues to host LN leaders linked to the now-defunct peace talks in Cuba, despite repeated extradition requests from Colombia. Cuba continues to harbor numerous fugitives who have committed or supported terrorist acts in the United States.”
Trump, who will be inaugurated for his second presidential term next week, is expected to reverse Biden’s move. The Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, is a native of Cuba and has criticized Cuban Communist leaders.
In the year In 2021, Rubio sponsored legislation that would support “brave Cubans leading historic protests across the island against six decades of oppression and repression under the Castro and Diaz-Canel regimes.”
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Aerial view of the city of Havana on August 02, 2017 in Havana, Cuba. (Frederic Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)
Rubio said of the 2021 protests: “After 62 years of being ruled by a communist dictatorship, the Cuban people have stood up boldly for their freedom. “This is truly a historic moment, and one that I am proud to witness as a Cuban-American. The Cuban people have made their voice clear. We must stand to support the efforts of the Cuban people to live in a country free from security. Tyranny and Censorship.”
Before Tuesday’s announcement, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz condemned the Biden administration’s move as “unacceptable in its merits.”
“The terrorism promoted 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 caused by the decision.”
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President-elect Trump will replace President Biden next week. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left; Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg, right)
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment, but officials declined to comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House for confirmation.
