The United States announced on Monday (16) the relaxation of a number of restrictions imposed on Cuba under Donald Trump, including immigration processes, money transfers and flights, which Cuba has classified as a “limited step towards the right”.
“With these measures, we aim to support Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and greater economic opportunity so they can lead successful lives at home,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. Said.
The Joe Biden government has announced that it will reinstate the CFRP family reunification program for Cubans, which has been suspended since 2017. Created in 2007, the program allows US citizens or residents to travel to the US from their relatives in Cuba and apply for work permits. when processing your legal residence status.
It also promised to increase the processing capacity of visa applications in Havana.
It also said it would remove the current quarterly limit of $1,000 on family remittances for the sender-receiver pair, and allow non-family remittances from donations, namely to support “independent Cuban entrepreneurs.”
However, the State Department stated that these financial flows should not “enrich” individuals or organizations that violate human rights.
The Biden administration will also increase the number of flights between the USA and the island, and will also serve cities outside of Havana. And it will allow certain group travels that are currently prohibited.
However, it has clarified that individual travel will not be reactivated.
Cuba acknowledged progress in measures, but stressed that this “does not change the embargo” in place since 1962.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that “the US government’s statement is a limited step in the right direction”, but “neither the goals nor the main tools of US policy in Cuba, which is a failure, is not a change”.
Price noted that “the administration’s (Biden) policy towards Cuba continues to focus on supporting the Cuban people, including their human rights and their political and economic well-being.”
“We continue to demand that the Cuban government immediately release political prisoners, respect the fundamental freedoms of the Cuban people, and allow the Cuban people to determine their own future,” he said.
source: Noticias
