A total of 114 Democratic congressmen today sent a letter to US President Joe Biden to demand a different policy towards Cuba that prioritizes the well-being of the Cuban people.
In the letter, backed by the heads of 18 committees of the Lower House, they request the president to establish his own strategy regarding the island and abandon the line of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), who reinforced the blockade with 243 additional measures still current.
The legislators highlight that an urgent change is necessary due to the shortage of food, medical supplies and basic necessities in the Antillean nation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The parliamentarians also call for the administration to lift all restrictions on banking and financial transactions, as well as family and other remittances in order to help improve the standard of living of Cubans.
While regulations allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, in practice licensing requirements, end-use verification, restrictions on the banking sector, and fear of unknowingly violating US law seriously complicate the delivery of aid to the island. affirms the text.
They also referred to the obstacles for Americans to travel to the Caribbean nation, the flexibility of which would increase the flow of humanitarian supplies and the distribution of money and goods sent directly into the hands of Cubans.
The signatory Democrats recalled that Cuba was removed from the list of State Sponsor of Terrorism in 2015, however, the Trump administration did not cite any new facts to justify its decision to reincorporate the island during the last days of its mandate.
Therefore, they recommended that the State Department carry out a new review that would allow Havana to be removed from that unilateral list that hinders both bilateral relations and the purchase or receipt of goods.
In addition, the congressmen made it clear that beyond eliminating sanctions they support a more comprehensive change to move towards the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba.
For that, they called on Biden to allow the staffing of the respective embassies, which “would not only be a gesture of good faith,” but would also contribute to a safe and orderly migration of Cubans interested in doing so, who now endanger their lives to reach the northern country.
In the same way, they urged to resume cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, such as migration, disaster response, environment, fight against drug trafficking and money laundering, as well as to initiate dialogues to face Covid-19 and future pandemics as well. they are essential.
Finally, politicians stress that the protection of human rights in Cuba and US interests benefit from better relations rather than unilateral isolation, which has proven to be a “failed policy.”
