The Biden administration was slammed after lifting the Trump-era flight restrictions on Wednesday that would prevent U.S. airlines and chartered flights from going to other cities in Cuba besides Havana.
In a written request filed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, addressing to the U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday, he called for the department to have the prohibition revoked.
According to Blinken, the revoking of prohibition will support the Cuban people and the “foreign policy interests of the United States.”
Between 2019 and 2020, the Trump administration had issued several travel restrictions on Cuba in which the Biden administration claimed in recent weeks that it plans to ease.
In a statement released by former President Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo at that time, he claimed that “Cuba uses tourism and travel funds to finance its abuses and interference in Venezuela. Dictators cannot be allowed to benefit from U.S. travel.”
Biden administration lifting Trump-era restrictions on Cuba flights https://t.co/Ip36hnI5Sd
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Following the announcement, several lawmakers’ changes drew immediate bipartisan skepticism from members of Congress.
“I am dismayed to learn the Biden administration will begin authorizing group travel to Cuba through visits akin to tourism. To be clear, those who still believe that increasing travel will breed democracy in Cuba are simply in a state of denial.” Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an official statement.
“For decades, the world has been traveling to Cuba and nothing has changed. For years, the United States foolishly eased travel restrictions arguing millions of American dollars would bring about freedom and nothing changed. And as I warned then, the regime ultimately laughed off any promises of loosening its iron grip on the Cuban people and we ended up helping fund the machinery behind their continued oppression.” The top Democrat official added.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is also reportedly planning to lift the restrictions on money that immigrants can send to people on the island.
The administration revealed that this would move to reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program.
Moreover, previous reports revealed that the program has a backlog of more than 20,000 applications and increased visa processing and consular services.
“With these actions, we aim to support Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and for greater economic opportunities so that they can lead successful lives at home,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price last month.
