Biden announced today that he’s undoing Trump’s restrictions on the Commies in Cuba by opening up flights and allowing Cuban immigrants to send money back to people on the island.
Via Washington Times:
The Biden administration announced Monday that it will expand flights to Cuba and lift Trump-era restrictions on remittances that immigrants can send to people on the island.
The State Department said in a statement that it will remove the current $1,000-per-quarter limit on family remittances and will allow non-family remittance, which will support independent Cuban entrepreneurs. The U.S. will also allow scheduled and charter flights to locations beyond Havana, according to the State Department.
The administration said will also move to reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program and increase consular services and visa processing.
“With these actions, we aim to support Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and for greater economic opportunities so that they can lead successful lives at home,” the State Department added. “We continue to call on the Cuban government to immediately release political prisoners, to respect the Cuban people’s fundamental freedoms and to allow the Cuban people to determine their own futures.”
The policy changes come after a review that began soon after a series of widespread protests on the island last July.
Marco Rubio responded to this announcement claiming Biden is doing this because Cuba threatened him with mass migration, among other things:
The regime in #Cuba threatened Biden with mass migration and have sympathizers inside the administration and the result is today we see the first steps back to the failed Obama policies on Cuba
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 16, 2022
Ted Cruz also responded to the news, calling out Biden for once again appeasing criminal regimes:
A cornerstone of the Biden admin is to appease criminal regimes around the world.
In Cuba, Biden is picking up where Obama left off: catastrophic and unjustifiable concessions. https://t.co/0Vm2E8nZn1
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 16, 2022
The Lt. Governor of Florida pointed out what we all know is true, that loosening these restrictions will just enrich the Cuba’s regime:
The recent action by the Biden administration to expand flights to Cuba, which is a major security threat to the United States, enriches the regime and hurts the freedom-seeking people on the island.
— Jeanette Nuñez (@LtGovNunez) May 16, 2022
But it isn’t just Republicans criticizing Biden. Senator Menendez released this statement calling it ‘dismaying’ that Biden would do this:
Chairman Menendez's statement on the Biden administration's announced changes to United States policy toward Cuba: pic.twitter.com/mPxe0fgrk3
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) May 16, 2022