Mitch Perry
Starting tomorrow, it will be easier for Americans to travel to Cuba than it has been for more than half a century.
The Obama administration announced this morning a set of new regulations beginning on Friday easing decades-old restrictions on travel, business and remittances, a tangible result of last month’s announcement by the White House to reestablish relations with the Cuban government.
“In addition to expanding travel opportunities, these measures will empower self-employed Cubans and the emerging private, small business sector on the island,” said Tampa based U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, who has championed the recent moves by the president. “Today’s announcement is a major boost for the Tampa Bay economy, particularly our airport, and the many families and exchange initiatives that have been established. Removing unnecessary barriers to travel will allow more people to travel through our airport and create more opportunities for Americans to engage directly with the Cuban people.”
Currently, there are 12 categories of permissible travel, but travelers must make individual requests to the U.S. Treasury Department for each category to visit Cuba. The new regulations cut the red tape and authorize travel under a general license.
These categories are: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; support for the Cuban people; humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and certain authorized export transactions.
Under the new regulations, Americans will not need licenses to certify that they fit those categories.
The new regulations also facilitate travel provider services, simplify the process of authorized remittances, raise the limits on and generally authorize certain categories of remittances to Cuba, and streamline processing of authorized financial transactions. Americans will be allowed to send more money to Cubans, up to $2,000 every three months instead of the $500 currently permitted.
Critics of the Cuban government aren’t pleased. That includes Florida’s U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
“This is a windfall for the Castro regime that will be used to fund its repression against Cubans, as well as its activities against U.S. national interests in Latin America and beyond,” Rubio said in a statement this morning. “Given existing U.S. laws about our Cuba policy, this slew of regulations leave at least one major question President Obama and his administration have failed to answer so far: what legal authority does he have to enrich the Castro regime in these ways?
Rubio said yesterday he requested answers from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on the new Cuba policy would be implemented without violating the letter and spirit of several U.S. laws, and without increasing what he calls “the moral and financial risk to the American taxpayer and financial system of doing business through Cuba’s government-controlled financial system.”
“While those questions remain unanswered,” he said today, “one thing that’s become even more crystal clear today is that this one-sided deal is enriching a tyrant and his regime at the expense of U.S. national interests and the Cuban people.”
