My Catch of the Day is a Tall Cuba Libre

Cuba is at the epicenter of the battle between Trump’s “strength through power” ideology and striving towards greater economic dependence among states. 

No matter what side someone is on, it seems as though everyone can agree that the beginning of President Trump’s second term has been nothing short of overwhelming. On his first day, Trump rescinded 78 of Biden’s executive orders. Mind you, each of these executive orders could have its own article written about it—that’s how important they are. 

One issue that has largely been overlooked is Biden’s decision to loosen sanctions on Cuba just six days before leaving office. The move was aimed at encouraging democratization and securing the release of 553 political prisoners who were jailed after the July 2021 protests. In the final days of the Biden administration, the Vatican helped broker a U.S.-Cuba deal to facilitate a prisoner exchange. 

Protests in July 2021 saw a significant crackdown by Cuban authorities. According to Human Rights Watch, “[A] report [by Cuban rights groups] documents a wide range of human rights violations against well-known government critics and ordinary citizens, including harassment, arbitrary detention, abuse-ridden prosecutions, beatings, and other cases of ill-treatment that in some cases constitute torture,” writes Human Rights Watch.

Cuban police crackdown on July 2021 Protests.

The Trump administration wasted no time in reversing Biden’s decision. Within two weeks, the State Department reinstated Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), citing Cuba’s continued support for anti-U.S. activities and its ties to Venezuela’s Maduro regime and China’s intelligence operations. 

“The Cuban regime has long supported acts of international terrorism. We call for the regime to end its support for terrorism, and to stop providing food, housing, and medical care to foreign murderers, bombmakers, and hijackers, while Cubans go hungry and lack access to basic medicine,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had welcomed Biden’s decision, stating: “I welcome the Biden administration’s steps to remove Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list—a long overdue action that will help normalize relations with our neighbor. During my visit to Cuba last February, I met with family members of those unjustly imprisoned, and I’m encouraged that Cuban authorities have agreed to release these individuals.”

Similarly, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supported the move: “With its removal from the SSOT list, the Cuban people will now be able to access international credit and financial services -- making everything from accessing food and medicine to disaster recovery easier for struggling families across the Island. This deal is a welcome development for human rights, normalizing relations, and relieving the suffering of the Cuban people.”

Conversely, Senator Rick Scott of Florida strongly condemned the decision, saying, “Joe Biden’s shameful legacy of appeasement has been cemented. By removing Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, Biden is weakly playing into the hands of an evil, illegitimate dictator who’s using innocent lives as a bargaining chip.”

The Biden administration defended its actions, arguing that Cuba had met the legal conditions for removal from the SST list, stating: “The Government of Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period” and “The Government of Cuba has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”

However, Trump’s swift reversal signals a return to a more hardline approach. The administration also reinstated the Cuba Restricted List, prohibiting transactions with entities tied to Cuba’s military and intelligence services. 

The back-and-forth over Cuba policy underscores deep divisions in Washington over how to engage with the island. With Trump reimposing strict measures, the future of U.S.-Cuba relations remains uncertain. The question now is whether continued sanctions will achieve their intended goals or simply prolong the suffering of the Cuban people.