A Complete Timeline of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Cuba Policy
Summary:
While on the campaign trail, Vice President Joe Biden made promises to countermand restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on travel and remittances to Cuba, reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, re-engage with Cuba, and “promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.”
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has failed to act upon campaign promises, initially maintaining that Cuba policy was not a priority. (See below for a timeline of actions taken by the Administration.) The demonstrations taking place throughout the island on July 11 instilled a sense of urgency in the Administration’s Cuba policy review, and the Administration has stated that Cuba is now a priority. However, this change in rhetoric has failed to lead to substantial change and a complete reversal of Trump-era policies appears unlikely in the near future. As the Cuban population faces a genuine humanitarian crisis, the Biden-Harris administration can and should prioritize the immediate humanitarian needs of the Cuban people. The Administration should uphold their campaign promises, empower the Cuban people to determine their own fate, and remove U.S. obstacles impeding stated U.S. policy goals.
Vice President Biden on the campaign trail:
2019: While on the campaign trail in 2019, Vice President Joe Biden expressed disagreement with the restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba imposed by the Trump administration and said that the Trump administration’s Cuba policies hurt Cuban families. He also stated that “Cuba is not represented solely by its leadership” while advocating for engagement with the Cuban people. Additionally, Vice President Biden expressed support for family reunification, stating that as president he would “reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program.”
January - June 2020: In 2020, as democratic nominee Vice President Biden first expressed that Americans, particularly Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for prosperity in Cuba. This would later become a core principle for the Biden-Harris administration’s Cuba policy. He also stated that as president, he would “promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.”
Vice President Biden argued that engaging with Cuba is important for both U.S. national security interests and foreign policy goals. According to Vice President Biden, engaging with Cuba would establish leadership in the Western Hemisphere, garner regional support for the U.S., deter Russian and Chinese influence in Latin America, and improve the international standing of the United States.
July - November 2020: As election day drew nearer, Vice President Biden continued to speak about the Trump administration’s “failed Cuba policy” and promised to reverse the Trump administration’s policies, such as restrictions on remittances, that “inflicted harm on Cubans and their families.” With regards to human rights, Vice President Biden repeatedly spoke about Cuba being no closer to democracy and freedom than it was four years ago and stated that human rights have actually gotten worse under the Trump administration’s “harmful” policies.
In October, 2020, Vice President Biden spoke about Trump’s “unconscionable” migration policy as it pertains to Cubans, stating that the Trump administration’s immigration policy was “actively separating Cuban families by not processing visas through restrictions on family visits and remittances.” He also condemned deporting Cubans “back to a dictatorship.”
The Biden-Harris administration in office:
January 2021: Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, it has articulated that its policy would be governed by two principles: (1) support for democracy and human rights and (2) that Americans, especially Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for prosperity in Cuba. The Administration also expressed that it would take its own path following a policy review.
February 2021: Senior White House official Juan González spoke of intentions to lift remittance and travel restrictions, and to review the restaffing of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, while also criticizing the Trump administration’s policy choices for being disproportionately punitive to Cubans and Cuban Americans and highly ineffective in obtaining policy objectives pertaining to democracy and human rights. The White House repeatedly reiterated its two core principles of Cuba policy and that it was reviewing its policy towards Cuba.
March 2021: White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, stated that “A Cuba policy shift is not currently among President Biden’s top priorities” and reiterated its two guiding principles to Cuba policy in the future. The Administration repeated that Cuba policy is under review and that it would consult Cuban Americans and members of Congress.
April 2021: Cubans remained on the Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021, meaning that Cubans would be considered refugees for the purpose of admission into the United States. This designation is given to only six other groups of people or nations. When questioned about Raúl Castro stepping down as head of the communist party, thereby signaling the end of Castro leadership in Cuba, State Department Press Secretary Ned Price responded by repeating its two core principles and stating that Cuba policy is under review, although it was not a top priority. It was also stated that President Joe Biden “is not Barack Obama” with regards to U.S.-Cuba policy.
May 2021: The Biden-Harris administration sustained Trump-era Cuba policy by maintaining Cuba on the list of countries certified as not cooperating fully with U.S. antiterrorism efforts. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State released a report on religious freedom in Cuba, criticizing the government for suppressing religious groups on the island. On May 20, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a message to the Cuban people stating, “The United States recommits to accompanying the Cuban people in your quest to determine your own future.”
June 2021: The House Appropriations Committee approved the State Department’s proposal of a decreased budget for Radio and TV Martí programming while restating that the Administration is reviewing Cuba policy and is doing so in conversation with various stakeholders.
On June 23, the U.S. voted against a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba at the 75th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, signaling their support for the embargo. Each year since 1992, the UN has voted on a resolution to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba and, at all but one meeting, the U.S. has voted against the resolution. In 2016, the Obama-Biden administration historically abstained from voting on the resolution for the first time. Following the abstention, the Trump administration reverted back to voting in support of the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
On June 29, Juan González restated interest in removing restrictions on sending remittances to the island and reestablishing U.S. consular services in Cuba, and noted a deterioration of human rights on the island. On June 30, Secretary Blinken answered questions about Cuba policy and again reiterated that the Administration was reviewing Cuba policy under the guidance of their two core principles.
July 2021: The State Department released the 2021 Trafficking In Persons Report and designated Cuba as one of the 15 countries with a Tier 3 ranking. Countries with Tier 3 rankings are subject to financial penalties, may be subject to restrictions of foreign assistance, and may also face possible U.S. opposition to similar assistance from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The report also listed Cuba’s government as one of 11 governments committing state-sponsored human trafficking. In the report’s launch ceremony, Secretary Blinken specifically noted Cuba’s international medical missions.
Following the demonstrations that started on July 11 (J11) across the island, the Biden-Harris administration released multiple statements in support of the Cuban people and their right to protest. The day after the protests, President Biden released a statement urging Cuba’s government to listen to and support its people. He also called the protests a “clarion call for freedom.” Later in the week, President Biden spoke about how the U.S. would respond to the protests, sharing that the U.S. would look into technology that would restore internet access in Cuba and how the U.S. could send vaccines to Cuba. President Biden also stated that Cuba was a “failed state” that is “repressing” its citizens and that the U.S. would not be reinstating remittances to Cuba. Later in the week, the White House changed course and shared that they would review reinstating remittances.
On July 13, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that Cuban migrants traveling across the Florida Straits would be repatriated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Biden-Harris administration urged Cubans against traveling to the U.S., stating “if you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.” Migratory travel across the Florida Straits by Cubans migrants has seen an immense increase in recent months. So far in FY2021, which began on October 1, 2020, the Coast Guard has interdicted over 700 Cuban migrants, compared to 49 Cuban migrants in FY2020 and 313 interdictions in FY2019.
Senior White House officials met with Cuban American leaders on July 19 to speak about policy recommendations and later shared that the Biden-Harris administration was monitoring the situation in Cuba closely and that Cuba was now a “top priority for the Administration.” The Biden-Harris administration also ordered the State Department to review the restaffing of the U.S. Embassy in Havana and announced the creation of a Remittance Working Group to evaluate how Cuban Americans can send remittances to their family members in Cuba without Cuba’s government capturing significant revenue. The same day, the Administration called on Cuba’s leaders to reinstate access to the internet, while also continuing to seek out external alternative means to restore internet access to the island. It was also stated that the U.S. would focus on sanctioning government officials in Cuba who were “responsible for the brutal crackdown” on July 11.
On July 22, the Biden-Harris administration announced sanctions “targeting elements of the Cuban regime responsible for this crackdown… to hold them accountable for their actions.” Specifically, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) instated sanctions on Cuba’s Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), Álvaro López Miera, and the Ministry of the Interior’s (MINIT) Special National Brigade, or “Boinas Negras” (Black Berets). In addition to the second round of sanctions, the Administration stated that they would be engaging with international partners, collaborating with the private sector to increase connectivity and internet access in Cuba, meeting with Cuban American leaders, reviewing the remittances policy, and working to restaff the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
On July 23, the State Department released a fact sheet regarding sending humanitarian aid to Cuba, which listed the U.S. law and regulations surrounding exporting to Cuba, and encouraged U.S. citizens to send support to the Cuban people using the “exemptions and authorizations relating to exports of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods to Cuba.”
On July 25, the Biden-Harris administration released a joint statement with 20 countries condemning the response of Cuba’s government to the J11 protests and calling on Cuba’s government to respect the freedom and rights of the Cuban people.
On July 30, President Biden hosted a second meeting with different leaders in the Cuban American community. At the meeting, President Biden reaffirmed the Administration’s efforts to provide internet access to Cubans, stated that the Remittance Working Group would provide their recommended remittance policy on how to maximize the flow of remittances to the Cuban people within one month, and shared continued efforts pertaining to restaffing the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Also on July 30, OFAC announced additional sanctions on Cuba’s Revolutionary National Police, as well as individual sanctions against the chief, Oscar Callejas Valcarce, and deputy chief, Eddy Sierra Arias, of the National Police.
August 2021: On August 11, one month after the J11 protests, the U.S. State Department stated that Cuba was a “top priority” for the Biden-Harris administration, urged the release of detained demonstrators, and reaffirmed a continued commitment to “providing support to the Cuban people, whether it is facilitating humanitarian assistance or information access.” Additionally, OFAC and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) reiterated their support of internet freedom in Cuba and released a fact sheet on relevant sanctioning. The fact sheet lays out exemptions to the U.S. embargo on Cuba that allow certain telecommunications services to be provided to Cuba. The fact sheet’s press release reiterates the U.S.’s condemnation of Cuba’s government’s efforts to “silence protests” on July 11 as well as its support for human rights, freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to free access to the internet and information for the Cuban people.
On August 13, the U.S. State Department announced a third round of sanctions issued by OFAC in response to the J11 protests. The additional sanctions were imposed on Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García, chief of the Political Directorate of MININT, Pedro Orlando Martinez Fernandez, chief of the Political Directorate of the National Police, and on the Tropas de Prevención, also known as “Boinas Rojas” or Red Berets, of MINFAR.
On August 17, the Biden-Harris administration authorized emergency flights containing humanitarian aid to travel to Cuba. The authorization allowed for two Miami-based airlines to complete up to 20 trips each to deliver humanitarian aid and diplomatic cargo across the island until the end of September 2021. The flights are not able to carry passengers.
On August 19, OFAC announced a fourth round of sanctions since the July 11 protests on three top Cuban officials. The additional sanctions were imposed on Andrés Laureano González Brito, Chief of the Central Army under MINFAR, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Directorate of Operations under MINFAR, and Abelardo Jimenez Gonzalez, Chief of the Directorate of Penitentiary Establishments of MININT. In conjunction with the fourth round of sanctioning on August 19, the U.S. Department of State reiterated support of sanctioning additional senior Cuban officials in a press release and through comments by the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Secretary Blinken pledged to hold Cuban officials accountable for violence and human rights violations around the J11 protests, as did Secretary Mayorkas after meeting with Cuban Americans at a church in Miami to discuss the aftermath of the J11 protests.
September 2021: On September 3, the U.S. Department of State announced that it would begin restaffing the U.S. Embassy in Havana. A State Department spokesperson stated that the gradual restaffing is intended to “enhance our ability to engage with civil society and, at the appropriate time, to increase consular services to Cubans, while ensuring the safety of U.S. diplomats serving in Cuba.”