Donald Trump, shortly after being sworn in for a second term, reversed a decision made by the outgoing Biden administration to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. This action reinstates Cuba’s designation, a status Trump initially imposed during his first term in 2021.
The Biden administration’s decision on January 14 aimed to lift Cuba’s designation in conjunction with an agreement involving the release of more than 500 prisoners from Cuban jails, part of a negotiation involving the Vatican. Biden also sought to rollback restrictions on financial transactions with Cuban military-linked entities and prevent lawsuits under the Helms-Burton Act over property nationalized after Fidel Castro’s revolution. However, Trump’s swift revocation signals a continuation of hardline policies against the Cuban government.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized Trump’s move as an act of “mockery and abuse.” The implications of this reversal may complicate relations with Cuba, as the designation on the terrorism list intensifies economic sanctions and restricts international financial access for the island, which is already struggling with economic challenges.
