The Biden administration reportedly plans to lift Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday, reversing a move the Trump administration took in 2021.
The Associated Press reported the news Tuesday afternoon, though the White House has yet to deny or confirm the reports. The move is said to be part of a deal sponsored by the Catholic Church to release political prisoners in Cuba.
Cuba received this designation in January 2021, shortly before Biden took office. At the time, the US Embassy in Cuba accused Cuba of “repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism by providing safe haven for terrorists.”
“The Trump administration has focused from the beginning on depriving the Castro regime of the resources it uses to oppress its own people at home, and confronting its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,” the statement read. “With this action, we will once again hold the Cuban government accountable and send a clear message: The Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of American justice,” he added.
The Biden administration lifted Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
The statement noted raul castro, The then first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and brother of the notorious dictator Fidel Castro. According to the State Department, Cuba was first designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, and the designation was rescinded in 2015.
“Cuba maintains close and cooperative relations with state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran and North Korea,” the State Department’s 2019 report said. “The Cuban regime continues to host ELN leaders associated with the now-stalled peace talks to reside in Cuba, despite Colombia's repeated requests for their extradition. Cuba also continues to harbor numerous fugitives who have committed or supported acts of terrorism in the United States.”
Trump, who will be inaugurated for his second presidential term next week, is expected to reverse Biden's move. His next foreign minister Florida Sin. marco rubio, He is of Cuban descent and has openly criticized Cuba's communist leaders.
In 2021, Rubio sponsored legislation supporting “the brave Cuban people as they lead historic protests across the island against six decades of oppression and tyranny from the Castro and Díaz-Canel regime.”
An aerial view of the city of Havana on August 02, 2017 in Havana, Cuba. (Frédéric Sultan/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The Cuban people are courageously defending their freedoms after 62 years of oppression under a communist dictatorship,” Rubio said of the 2021 protests. “This is a truly historic moment, and one that I am proud to witness as a Cuban American. The people of Cuba have made their voice clear. We must stand in support of the Cuban people's continued efforts to live in a nation free of terrorism, tyranny and censorship.”
Before Tuesday's announcement, Texas Senator Ted Cruz denounced the Biden administration's move, calling it “unacceptable on its merits.”
“The terrorism practiced by the Cuban regime has not stopped,” Cruz said in a statement. “I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the decision.”
President-elect Trump will succeed President Biden next week. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, left, Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg, right)
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment, but officials declined to comment. Fox News Digital has also reached out to the White House for confirmation.
