President Trump on Wednesday introduced a collection of latest sanctions towards Cuba that prohibit Individuals from importing Cuban cigars and rum
President Trump on Wednesday introduced a collection of latest sanctions towards Cuba that prohibit Individuals from importing Cuban cigars and rum and staying in motels funded by the Cuban authorities.
The brand new restrictions comply with a collection of measures introduced by the Trump administration in 2019 that aimed to curtail journey to Cuba from the US, together with a ban on cruise ships, non-public yachts, fishing vessels and group instructional and cultural journeys.
The Treasury Division stated on Wednesday that United States residents can even be restricted from attending or organizing conferences in Cuba and taking part in public performances, clinics, workshops, competitions and exhibitions on the island.
“As we speak, as a part of our persevering with combat towards communist oppression, I’m asserting that the Treasury Division will prohibit U.S. vacationers from staying at properties owned by the Cuban authorities,” Mr. Trump stated at a White Home occasion honoring Bay of Pigs veterans. “We’re additionally additional limiting the importation of Cuban alcohol and Cuban tobacco.”
“These actions will be sure that U.S. {dollars} don’t fund the Cuban regime and go on to the Cuban folks,” he added.
Whereas the sanctions are designed to use stress on the Cuban authorities to chop its help for the embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the announcement on Wednesday gave the impression to be an try to attraction to Cuban-American voters in Florida, a battleground state within the 2020 presidential race.
“This can be a determined and hypocritical try by Trump to pander to Cuban-American voters in Florida,” Enrique Gutierrez, a spokesman for the Democratic Get together stated in an e-mail. “Americans are already banned from touring to Cuba due to the coronavirus.” Mr. Gutierrez stated that Mr. Trump was “utilizing our overseas coverage for his personal political acquire.”
Cuba is at present closed to overseas vacationers due to the coronavirus pandemic, however when it opens, Americans might be banned from lodging at 433 motels funded by the Cuban authorities or “sure well-connected insiders,” the State Division stated, urging vacationers to as a substitute keep in non-public lodging, or “casas particulares,” owned and operated by “legitimately unbiased entrepreneurs.”
“The Cuban regime has been redirecting income from approved U.S. journey for its personal profit, typically on the expense of the Cuban folks,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated in a press release on Wednesday. “This Administration is dedicated to denying Cuba’s oppressive regime entry to revenues used to fund their malign actions, each at house and overseas.”
A Cuban embassy official in Washington advised Reuters that the applying of sanctions towards Cuba has not achieved the proposed targets in 60 years. “It’s a fallacious coverage that’s extensively rejected by American society and even amongst Cuban Individuals,” the official stated.
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